Marty’s photo of the day #2891: Last week I posted two stories about the two pairs of goldeneye ducks I watched in Yellowstone National Park, fighting over a small open section of an ice-covered lake, so I won’t repeat them here. But this photo shows the most humorous part of the fight (no ducks were hurt, so I can say that). When one pair would move to the far side and seemingly look the other way, the male from the other pair would do the “Jaws swim,” going low in the water—or even under the water—and then surface suddenly to attack the other surprised male. Both males did it, although the male who eventually lost always chickened out at the last moment and swam back to his mate (I guess showing willingness was enough to impress). Deb and I both watched from different vantage points, but when we got together we simultaneously broke into the Jaws theme: “Dunt-dunt-dunt-dunt-dunt-dunt!”
The Jaws swim
May 14, 2019Written by Marty Essen