Wednesday, March 30, 2011

The Dance Continues, Avocet Courtship at Radio Road Ponds -- Part 2

This is the second half of the courtship and mating ritual of a pair of American avocets that I witnessed at Radio Road Ponds in Redwood City. Here's a link to Part 1.

As illustrated in Part 1, the male danced around the female and stopped to preen for a few minutes, each time seemingly gaining in intensity and getting closer and closer to the female. Soon enough he came right up to her side and began rapidly thrashing his bill through the water and splashing both of them.
Avocet pre-copulation courtship and love bubbles - Pat Ulrich Wildlife Photography

As quickly and unexpectedly as he started splashing, he stopped and immediately hopped on top of the female. He seemed to have a little trouble finding his balance at first, but then was able to steady himself.
Avocet finding balance - Pat Ulrich Wildlife Photography

A brief moment of copulation followed...
American avocet copulation - Pat Ulrich Wildlife Photography

...and the next generation of avocets was created.
American avocets mating - Pat Ulrich Wildlife Photography

It took him a little while to find his balance, and the actual mating was pretty quick, but all the while I was firing off frames and marveling at the incredible ritual I was watching. Even with the excitement of photographing this special moment, I was carefully watching my buffer counter, since I wanted to be ready to try to capture a few frames of what I knew was coming next. After mating, he hopped back down in the water, and the pair crossed bills and ran forward together for a few strides, the final step of their elaborate ritual. Unfortunately, I didn't get a really great shot of them running together, but it's such a wonderful moment to have witnessed through the viewfinder.
Avocet post-copulation run - Pat Ulrich Wildlife Photography

11 comments:

  1. You are sooo blessed to be there to witness it all. And be able to share it with other birders. Thank you for your wonderful photos.

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  2. Absolutely spectacular images! Not only did you experience it in person, but you photographed it as well. Sensational work! Thank you for sharing.

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  3. Those are the greatest avocet image's i have seen! Awseome and inspiring ;)

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  4. I am sooo envious, Pat! You have been witness to a great ritual and were able to get images worthy of National Geographic! Great Post, this and the previous one!

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  5. What a beautiful series of shots of these two.

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  6. Absolutely amazing series! Love it.

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  7. Thanks so much for your comments everyone -- they are really appreciated! This was a really special moment to photograph for sure!

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