Dueling Egrets #1
Snowy Egrets
Egretta thula
A squabble at Malibu Lagoon
On first observation one might attribute this confrontation to a territorial dispute, competition for food, some kind of courting joust or ritual, or maybe just establishing a pecking order. After observing for a while, however, I'll go with the more anthropomorphic explanation that the bird on the right is just a jerk. He was going from bird to bird, "attacking" them without apparent provocation, didn't seem to care if the targeted birds left the immediate area or not. At least the bird he picked on this time didn't agree to give up his spot as easily as most others.
Malibu Lagoon State Beach
Malibu, California
Member of the Flickr Bird Brigade
Activists for birds and wildlife
Dueling Egrets #1
Snowy Egrets
Egretta thula
A squabble at Malibu Lagoon
On first observation one might attribute this confrontation to a territorial dispute, competition for food, some kind of courting joust or ritual, or maybe just establishing a pecking order. After observing for a while, however, I'll go with the more anthropomorphic explanation that the bird on the right is just a jerk. He was going from bird to bird, "attacking" them without apparent provocation, didn't seem to care if the targeted birds left the immediate area or not. At least the bird he picked on this time didn't agree to give up his spot as easily as most others.
Malibu Lagoon State Beach
Malibu, California
Member of the Flickr Bird Brigade
Activists for birds and wildlife