Fencing Flickers

     I heard a lot of commotion out back this morning so I went to see who was making all the racket and I got to see something pretty cool.  Almost half a dozen Northern Flickers were cavorting from tree to tree and a couple were even battling each other.  They continued for a bit and then two of them faced off on a branch zigzagging their heads back and forth, clashing over territory.  I've seen lot's of birds defending their territory, Hortense the hummingbird was a mighty warrior over hers, Red Bellied Woodpeckers, nuthatches.  But the Flickers were mesmerizing. They seemed almost gentlemanly about it, bobbing and weaving like duelers at dawn.  If you want to watch a video of what it looked like click here.  My son is taking fencing at school.  Maybe the Flickers could give him a few pointers.

photo credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dougevans/6167106784/">hulio82</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/">cc</a>