aggressive behavior – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

Bird Battle: Belted Kingfisher vs. Merlin

By Mia McPherson|October 13th, 2023|Categories: Belted Kingfishers, Birds, Merlins, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, aggressive behavior, alpine, autumn, bathed, bathing, behavior, Belted Kingfisher, bothering, canyon, creek, dive-bombed, drinking, falcon, falcons, fall, harassed, interaction, kingfisher, kingfishers, male, Megaceryle alcyon, Merlin, merlins, mountains, predator, prey, riparian habitat, water|

Little did I know that on my last trip up into the Wasatch Mountains, that I would witness a battle between a Belted Kingfisher and my first-of-season Merlin.

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Cliff Swallows Gathering Nesting Materials

By Mia McPherson|June 23rd, 2021|Categories: Birds, Cliff Swallows, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, aggressive behavior, behavior, canyon, Cliff Swallow, fighting, fluttering, mountains, nest building, nesting material, nesting materials, nesting season, Petrochelidon pyrrhonota, summer, Summit County, swallow, swallows, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, wings|

Yesterday morning I photographed Cliff Swallows gathering nesting materials and fighting in bright morning light high in the Wasatch Mountains.

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Coots, Coots and More Coots

By Mia McPherson|January 2nd, 2018|Categories: American Coots, Birds, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, afternoon light, aggressive, aggressive behavior, American Coot, chase, coot, coots, Fulica americana, pond, territory, urban, water, winter|

The last birds I photographed in 2017 were American Coots and some of the first birds I took photos of in 2018 were also coots.

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Feisty, Pugnacious And Aggressive – Why I Enjoy Photographing American Coots

By Mia McPherson|December 12th, 2017|Categories: American Coots, Birds, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: aggressive behavior, American Coot, coot, coots, feisty, Fulica americana, low, patrol, patrolling, patrolling behavior, photograph, photographing, pond, pugnacious, swimming|

While observing American Coots I can see that they are feisty, pugnacious and aggressive in their behaviors and they don't seem to take any guff from each other.

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American Coot Chase – Aggressive Territorial Behavior

By Mia McPherson|February 4th, 2017|Categories: American Coots, Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Utah|Tags: adult, aggressive behavior, Aggressive Territorial Behavior, American Coot, Body Posture, chase, coot, coots, Fulica americana, running, splattering, territorial behavior, Under Tail-Coverts, water, Wing-Arching|

American Coots are quarrelsome birds and they are quick to give chase whether it is over food or territory and they will fight, sometimes even to death, for both.

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