If you stay outdoors long this time of year you will not only acquire a yellow dusting of pine pollen, you will hear that love also fills the air. Or at least the urgent songs of male birds–winged bachelors–eager to mate. For most North American songbird species, it is the males who sing, while the females judge the competition.
If you have watched nature documentaries, you’ll recognize that a standard scene involves a young male creature performing an elaborate dance or song (or even mortal combat) to win the heart of a young female. My favorite David Attenborough line comes at the end of unsuccessful efforts with his pithy, “Not today.”
Over the past few weeks, I’ve watched numerous birds take center stage on the tallest trees near our home and sing their guts out for long spells. Not Cory Booker marathons, but for most birds, a half hour in the same perch, singing the same song, is unusual. It starts to look a bit like karaoke, as the Brown-Headed Cowbird, hands the mic to the Brown Thrasher, who hands off to the Common Grackle, who’s followed by the European Starling.
When Winged Bachelors Meet Prospects
I have not seen any immediate returns from these high-altitude performances. It’s not like female birds flock to the scene as if it were a Taylor Swift concert, unable to resist the catchy tunes. However, the vocals must work, because I later see pairs of birds in behavior that appears to be courtship.
I’ve been trying to capture these moments, but they are fleeting. Like humans, approaches vary. Some chase their desired partners around in crazy flight. Others approach prospective mates more stealthily. Some share food. Most sing and display themselves prominently.
When I caught two House Finches in a moment of interplay, I could see that the larger female was really not that into him. He was too young, not really impressive in his flight skills, and he appeared to be trying a bit too hard. She flew away, and he flew in pursuit. But my money is not on him, not today.
