Today ends an unbelievable week of photography here locally. With many of my bird photography trips being cancelled including the Texas bird migration this month and the Magee Marsh trip next month, I focused even deeper into the local birds. 

With many people talking about invasive species and right and wrong human behavior, I will add this into the mix. Today was a usual day for me. Check on the local birds including Spring migrating warblers, Bald Eagles, Common Mergansers and the local wildlife including deer, fox, beaver and River Otters. When I came to the area where the momma and Merganser chicks are in the river, I saw a 4 year old Bald Eagle perched in the tree. Below it was the female merganser momma slowly swimming in a circle in the middle of the river. She was obviously trying to keep the attention of the eagle.

While pulling over to park I was deciding whether or not to intervene with what was happening. My decision was to photograph the Bald Eagle knowing that it would feel uncomfortable with me doing so and eventually fly off. That is exactly what happened. The momma merganser almost instantly swam down river about 100 yards and gathered up her babes and returned to the slower water where I stayed with her for about 2 hours photographing her and her chicks. Consciously I knew that I helped save some of her chicks, but I am a photographer and I viewed it as just another opportunity to photograph a Bald Eagle. The Common Mergansers just happened to benefit from my doing so.

One hour after the Bald Eagle engagement another small crisis arose. With three successful years since the return of the Common Mergansers to the Little River in Blount County, the section of river used for much of the nesting birds has got a little more crowded with mergansers. A mating pair came swimming into the momma’s area curious about all the little ones she had. She was having no part of it. My research has focused a lot on the behaviors of adults toward each other. This week I witnessed several new behaviors, and today was another lesson. The momma focused on the male, and it took 3 different chases with the last one resulting in a good nip to the back of the neck. He was leaving, but the female was still curious. One final chase of her, and she joined her mate down river.