Date: Tue, 8 Feb 2000 05:35:46 PST Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Don Burggraf Subject: Re: Shoveling party Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed Thanks for the information! I found it very interesting. The aggressive swirling of the Shovelers at Ocean City almost looked comical. Don Burggraf Baltimore >From: Janet Millenson >Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding >To: MDOSPREY@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM >Subject: Re: [MDOSPREY] Shoveling party >Date: Mon, 7 Feb 2000 10:58:44 -0500 > >Found a reference to the circular feeding behavior in Forbush & May, "A >Natural History of American Birds of Eastern & Central North America" >(one-volume edition, copyright 1939). This appears in the paragraph about >the feeding habits of the Shoveller: > >"Three or four Shovellers will form in line following one after the other, >and then the leader will swing round in an ellipse, turning and following >the hindmost, each one apparently straining through its bill the water >stirred by the paddling feet of the one before it. Thus round and round >they >go with chattering bills, each one apparently enjoying the guttering >exercise and getting some sustenance from the disturbed and turgid element. >The male and female also circle about in this manner during courtship." > >Janet Millenson >Potomac, MD >janet@twocrows.com > >--------------------------------------------------- >"Look at the birds!" -- Pascal the parrot > >======================================================================= >To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com >with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey >======================================================================= ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================