The Great Day of Play: October 17, Part 3

After the juvenile was unable to find and retrieve the water bottle from part 2, she dredged up an old, beat-up bamboo fishing pole from the water.

Juvenile American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) plays with a bamboo fishing pole at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Humans use this to catch fish?! Why don’t they just use their pouches? Stupid humans!

Juvenile American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) plays with a bamboo fishing pole at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Although I try to watch what all of the pelicans are doing, I pay attention to some situations more than others. A pelican swimming or walking toward shore is one such situation. Not only might the pelican suddenly decide to run or fly, which is great, but I might be able to see a band. If a pelican is banded with a large, colorful band, like the kind used for North Dakota pelicans from Chase Lake, I can photograph the alphanumeric code as the bird is lifting its leg out of the water to walk.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) runs to shore at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Run, little pelican! Run like the wind!

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) performs a gular stretch at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Show off your internal pouch structures, little pelican! Show them off like . . . well, like a lesson in avian biology, I suppose.

There was some exciting bathing action going on nearby.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) bathing at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

THOSE HUMANS CAN SEE ME NAKED!

I love all the water splashing as the pelican really gets going.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) bathing at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TXAmerican white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) bathing at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TXAmerican white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) bathing at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TXAmerican white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) bathing at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

The pelican who played with the mangled red plastic cup in part 1 found the plastic container that another pelican in part 1 had grappled with.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) sights trash to play with at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

But, soft! What crap through yonder whitecaps breaks?

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) plays with trash at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

It is the trash, AND IT IS FOR ME TO PLAY WITH. FUCK JULIET.

Another pelican—a different one, I think, than the one with the plastic container—found a rock to play with.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) plays with a stone at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Every birdie wants a rock to wind a piece of string around.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) plays with a stone at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

NOT YOURS, HUMAN.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) plays with a stone at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Can I balance it in my pouch while I swim?

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) plays with a stone at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Ah, shit! Overcorrection! IT’S GOING DOWWWWWWN!

Some pelicans were tuckered out.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) dozes while loafing on a log at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Zzzzzz . . . fishie . . . zzzzzzzz . . . big fishie . . .

Another pelican waddled to shore, but instead of stepping up onto land, she got back into the water and swam around in the very shallow water. She kept dipping her head in the water as though she were hunting for fish and brought up a stick. Although it was a large stick, she was able to toss and catch it a few times. She found a few more sticks to play with before she finally settled down to loafing on land.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) plays with a branch at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

On the shore, Philoctetes managed to get to her feet and limp further in toward the dock. Where pelicans choose to sleep has to do with where the already-sleeping pelicans are. Being very social birds, pelicans like to stand together and sleep together. On this day, most of the birds were moving closer to the dock to find a place to sleep.

American white pelican walks on loafing grounds to find a place to sleep at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Although birds kept moving onto the shore to loaf, there was still some activity out in the water.

(Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)

Rouse!

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) bathing at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Splash!

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) bathing at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

You show that water who’s boss, pelican!

One bird rushed toward the shore.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) runs to shore at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

OMG I LEFT THE IRON ON!

Another bird was content to do her loafing in the water.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) loafs in shallow water at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

She looks like a cartoon of a fat, prosperous man who has just finished eating an enormous dinner, pushed back from the table, and loosened his pants to accommodate his swollen gut while groaning in relief and satisfaction.

More pelicans were settling down on the shore. Although the pelicans would have liked the loafing grounds to themselves, they had to negotiate with the other birds who also used the area.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) stands with four ducks on a loafing site at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Git along, little duckies.

I always think of the yellow-brown coloration on a sexually mature pelican’s lower neck as a “puke bib.”

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) lies on the ground, preparing to sleep, at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

God, I feel sorry for the people who have to band baby pelicans and brave the birds puking on them. Can you imagine the smell?

Another pelican joined the pelican that was lying down. That’s how they decide where to sleep: they find a sleeping bird, walk over to it, and sit down next to it.

Two American white pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) prepare to sleep at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Philoctetes had been sitting on the ground, engaging in some play activity: she was picking of beakfuls of leaf litter and dropping the litter so that it sifted back down to the ground. Before I left for the day, she stood up and performed a nice bill throw.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) performs a bill throw at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Bye, pelicansrulegullsdrool!

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) performs a bill throw at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Except I don’t know you other than the fact that you’re one of those scary stinky mammals hovering on the dock! But goodbye anyway!

Water Bottle Madness in The Great Day of Play: October 17, Part 2

The most play that I’ve seen among the White Rock Lake pelicans occurs during times of unrest and shifting population. Migration creates those circumstances. Lots of new birds come in to rest and recharge at a new place. There are no established social rankings compared to what an individual might find when stopping off at the lake during deep winter, when there is a fairly stable core of birds. Best of all, there is a lot of new stuff to explore! Last winter and early spring, the majority of the play I saw was among specific birds who were part of the stable winter population. I was very surprised when instances of play started racking up as birds came through on their way further south this fall.

In the following pics, the pelicans were out near the far-away logs. When I notice play, I try to document what is happening; I’m not trying to get super-awesome pics. A blurry pic can still tell me how many birds are involved, what the bird’s beak is doing, where the object is, etc. For the water bottle madness, I tried to pick out the least objectionable of the pictures I had. Extreme blurriness, however, is still the fault of the template, and clicking on the pic will give you a sharper version.

First I noticed that the pelican who had been tossing pecans in the air in part 1 had found an old water bottle. The entire time she was playing with the bottle, a juvenile was trailing after her.

The adult had been swimming with the bottle inside of her pouch. She plunged her head underwater, allowing her pouch to fill with water, and repositioned the bottle so that she could grasp it with her beak.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) plays with a water bottle at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Why might she want to grasp with bottle with her beak? So she could play catch!

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) plays with a water bottle at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

So what if the bottle didn’t really go up in the air? It still counts that I tossed and caught it!

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) plays with a water bottle at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Mine, all mine.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) plays with a water bottle at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Balancing this thing in my beak is hard!

While the adult was playing with the bottle, the juvenile, who had been following her, darted forward and snatched up the bottle before the adult could get to it. By this time, a third pelican, another adult, had become intrigued with the water bottle play. Both adults chased after the juvenile, but she managed to hang onto the water bottle long enough to toss it into the air a couple of times, swim to where it dropped, pick it up, and toss it again.

Juvenile American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) plays with a water bottle by tossing it in the air at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Weeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Juvenile American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) plays with a water bottle at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

I WILL RESCUE YOU, FAIREST WATER BOTTLE!

But alas, it was not meant to be. For the third pelican sailed forward and snatched up the water bottle before the juvenile could retrieve it.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) plays with a water bottle at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

DOES THIS MEAN I AM THE VILLAIN IN THIS STORY? I AM TOTES A NICE PELICAN, SWEAR.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) plays with a water bottle at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Hey, this is pretty fun!

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) plays with a water bottle at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

I WILL TAKE THE WATER BOTTLE AWAY WITH ME IN MY POUCH, AND Y’ALL WILL NEVER GET IT BACK! BWA HA HA HA HA!

Luckily for the first two pelicans, the third pelican dropped the bottle in the water after swimming with it in her pouch. She batted it around with her beak for a little while, trying to pick it up, then lost interest and swam away. The juvenile was more attentive than the remaining adult and managed to grab the bottle first. She resumed tossing it about.

Juvenile American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) plays with a water bottle at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Juvenile American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) plays with a water bottle at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Wherever we go, everyone knows, it’s me and my bottle.

The juvenile tossed the bottle again, and the adult slammed forward, trying to grab it. The juvenile was able to pluck it out of the water and toss it again. The adult caught the bottle in mid-air and surged forward in the water, away from the other pelican, while gripping the bottle in her beak. While she was swimming, the bottle squirted out of her beak and landed in the water away from her. Both birds dove for it.

Two American white pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) swabble over a water bottle in play at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

OH NO OH NO THIS CANNOT BE NO NO NO!

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) plays with a water bottle at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

You had it for a long time, juvenile! Let me have it for a little while longer!

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) tosses a water bottle in play at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Toss, toss, toss the bottle. Toss it ’cause it’s mine.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) plays with a water bottle at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Catch, catch, catch the bottle. Catch it all the time.

The adult tossed and caught the bottle in her beak several times. On the last toss, the bottle landed in the water. After a brief squabble between the pelicans, the juvenile picked up the bottle, and the adult swam away.

Juvenile American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) plays with a water bottle at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Finally, it is mine, all mine!

Juvenile American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) plays with a water bottle at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Mine to slosh in my pouch . . .

Juvenile American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) plays with a water bottle at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Mine to retrieve after I’ve tossed it in the water.

The juvenile tossed and retrieved the bottle several times.

Juvenile American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) plays with a water bottle at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

She is just about to fling the bottle in the air.

Juvenile American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) plays with a water bottle at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

After throwing the bottle, she swims forward to pick it back up again.

Then she seemed to play with it by gripping it, manipulating it with her beak, and dropping it back in the water.

Juvenile American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) plays with a water bottle at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Juvenile American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) plays with a water bottle at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Juvenile American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) plays with a water bottle at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Hello, my name is PELICAN, and I will be your server today. Allow me to pour your water. See? No problem. PELICAN pours so well.

Juvenile American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) plays with a water bottle at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Oh! Water bottle is so slippery! No worries; PELICAN will pour you more water very soon.

She continued playing with the water bottle for a little longer until she seemed to misplace the bottle and swam away when she couldn’t find it. The entire incident lasted six-and-a-half minutes.

The Great Day of Play: October 17, Part 1

Before I went out to the lake, I checked the backyard for any interesting insects or birds. I saw this paper wasp hanging out on an old section of fence.

Paper wasp (Polistes metricus) on wood in Dallas, TX

Back to migration madness!

Pelicans loaf in different areas of the bay depending upon weather, temperature, time of year, time of day, age (juvenile versus adult), safety considerations, and how many other pelicans are around. Sometimes the presence of geese or large numbers of cormorants can dissuade pelicans from loafing in certain places. On this day, a small group of pelicans had congregated on the loafing grounds by the dock, and more were swimming in that direction.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) jabs at another pelican on loafing grounds at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

They were also beginning to fight each other because, hey, they’re pelicans; that’s what they do.

Once the squabble ended, the shore pelicans went back to grooming and sleeping. That meant it was time for me to see what the other pelicans were doing.

Luckily, I only had to glance over at the Queen of the Log log to observe some action. A pelican had just jumped on the log next to a bird who had been loafing there by herself.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) lands on a loafing log occupied by another pelican at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

I am such a badass to make it up here on this log.

Two American white pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) fight over their positions on a log at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Oh no! Why are you not impressed with my badassery?

Two American white pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) fight over their positions on a log at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Take THAT, sucker! Teach you to hog the log all for yourself!

Two American white pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) fight over their positions on a log at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Sometimes pelicans have the funniest “startled” expressions.

Two American white pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) fight over their positions on a log at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Hang on, hang on, just let me get my footing back here, then you’ll be sorry . . .

Two American white pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) fight over their positions on a log at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Oh shit. The log’s not there anymore. That’s water.

Two American white pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) fight over their positions on a log at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

I DIDN’T WANT TO LOAF ON THE LOG, ANYWAY!

A nearby juvenile who was preening while standing in the water paused to perform a gular flutter.

Juvenile American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) performs a gular flutter at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

An adult was sleeping in the shallow water by the loafing grounds.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) sleeping at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

A juvenile was swimming toward the shore.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) swimming at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Then I saw the first instance of pelican play for the day. A pelican who was fishing way out by the far-away logs found a mutilated red plastic cup, picked it up, tossed it in the air, and caught it.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) playing with a red plastic cup at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

The pelican maneuvered the cup into her pouch and swam around for about a minute, occasionally clamping her upper beak down onto the cup to keep it inside her pouch.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) playing with a red plastic cup at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TXAmerican white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) playing with a red plastic cup at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

When she dropped the cup and, despite her attempts, wasn’t able to retrieve it, I looked around again.

Two pelicans swim together at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Best not be looking too hard at us, HUMAN.

5J1 was still at White Rock Lake and had chosen a log to loaf on that held a mature pelican. She half-heartedly snapped at the adult.

Two pelicans gape at each other while loafing at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

The adult gaped and snapped back.

Two pelicans gape at each other while loafing at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Sometimes when pelicans snap at each other, they get into an odd rhythm. One pelican leans forward and gapes or snaps at a rival, and in the middle of the snap, the challenged bird gapes and snaps back. By the time the first pelican has finished snapping, the second bird is in the middle of her own snap, which the first pelican then responds to with yet another gape or snap. The birds never snap at each other at the same time. I wonder if that behavior is intentional, keeping the threat as just a warning. If the pelicans were both leaning forward and snapping at each other at the same time, conflict would probably escalate.

Two pelicans gape at each other while loafing at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Two pelicans gape at each other while loafing at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

They called it a draw.

Far out in the water again, another bird had found an important piece of trash: a water bottle! Unfortunately, she didn’t do much with it.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) plays with a water bottle at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX
American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) plays with a water bottle at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) plays with a water bottle at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

The Queen of the Log pelican fell asleep.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) sleeping at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Something spooked the pelicans—I don’t remember what. The good news was that the birds weren’t totally freaked out. No one was going into super-alert mode, where the birds straighten up and hold their wings slightly out from their sides so they are ready to take off instantly. The birds were suspicious but not terrified. They got into alert mode, where they all straighten up and look in the same direction, and when the danger was not resolved to their satisfaction, they began to cautiously slink away. It’s the same behavior that I’ve seen from pelicans when I walk where they can see me at times when they (presumably) haven’t seen people for a while, such as on a very cold day. If no further interruptions occur, most of the pelicans will often return to where they were originally hanging out.

Loafing American white pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) alert and head toward water at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Although I would vastly prefer the pelicans to not be frightened, the potential for something dramatic or interesting to happen goes way up when they are moving around the area. Such as the next bird, who found an interesting piece of trash but had a hell of a time trying to grip it.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) plays with a plastic container at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Luckily, a few minutes later the same bird was able to find an object that was easier to zoom around with.

American white pelican plays with a feather at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

American white pelican plays with a feather at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

She briefly opened her beak to clamp down harder on the feather.

Elsewhere, another pelican was starting to fall asleep. I love it when pelicans let their long flight feathers droop down, like they are so tired that they’ve forgotten to hold the feathers tucked up under their wings.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) dozing at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

A coot swam up to the dock and peeped at me. It did not try to pull me down under the water and drown me.

American coot (Fulica americana) in the water at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Another pelican found two pecans stuck together and tossed them in the air a few times, retrieving them from the water when she was unable to catch them in her beak. This pelican will make another appearance in part 2, when she discovers that water bottles can make great toys.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) playing with pecans at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

I really like this pic.

I will end part 1 with a bathing pelican. Part 2 should be up much sooner than I’ve promised in the past!

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) bathing in water at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

YOU WISH YOU WERE SUCH A GOOD BATHER AS BIRD, HUMAN!

When a Pen Loves a Gander . . .

Last year, K discovered something amazing: White Rock Lake’s mute swan, Katie, aka Lady Katherine, was mating with a goose called Patches. Willingly mating. Happily mating. In fact, Lady Katherine was usually the aggressor.

K was horrified that a swan would fuck a goose. She ended up deleting the pics she took of Lady Katherine and Patches mating because she was so grossed out. Luckily, I had witnessed a couple of their sexual encounters from last year and got some pics to document that it happened.

I wondered if they would rekindle their relationship this year. While Patches and Lady Katherine were getting it on last year, Patches was mated to a female goose called Annie with whom he socialized and had sexual encounters. Annie and Patches are still together.

Apologies for the blurriness in the thumbnails; goddamned WordPress is STILL compressing and framing my pictures strangely, despite some changes Q made.

Two geese drinking from a puddle at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Annie (left) and Patches (right) drinking together from a puddle on January 23, 2015.

Mute swan (Cygnus olor) walking in the park at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

THE OTHER WOMAN.

On January 13, I was hanging out with Mister Mary Mack by the shore at Sunset Bay. It was cold outside—I’m not sure if the temperature even got to 40. Throughout the afternoon I watched the pelicans fly in and swim to the marshy spit where they loaf on cold days. When there were lulls in the pelican action, I watched the geese. Cutie Pie, the Ross’s goose that joined the goose flock at White Rock Lake, climbed out of the water and preened, and Lady Katherine waddled into the water and swam away.

Ross's goose (Anser rossii) preens at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Cutie Pie is so adorable.

Ross's goose (Anser rossii) scratches herself at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Oh! She’s itchy, too!

Two American white pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) squabble on a loafing site at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

When the pelicans loaf on the marshy spit, which is small and narrow, established pelicans often gape and snap at newcomers who have to step through a dense crowd of sleeping and preening pelicans to find a spot for themselves.

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) flying in for a landing at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TXAmerican white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) flying in for a landing at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TXAmerican white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) swimming at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) arrives at a loafing area at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

After weeks of wandering through the jungle, I happened upon a clearing where I saw the strangest sights . . .

I peered far out into the water.

Goose mating with mute swan (Cygnus olor) at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Yep, that’s a swan with a goose on top of her. And she’s not giving him a piggyback ride.

Settle back, readers, and prepare to bask in the wonders of interspecies copulation. This is HARDCORE birdie action.

Lady Katherine and Patches started mating last year in late winter. At one point in time K saw them mating almost daily. I recorded two instances of their coupling in two days in late March of 2014.

Mute swan (Cygnus olor) and goose engage in pre-copulatory display before mating at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Here Lady Katherine and Patches are engaged in courtship and pre-copulatory displays, respectively. Later incidents from this year are better documented in regard to their flirting.

Goose attempts to mount mute swan (Cygnus olor) at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Lady Katherine plays hard-to-get, surging forward as Patches attempts to mount her.

Goose mounts mute swan (Cygnus olor) and attempts copulatory activity at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Jesus, where the fuck do you focus when this is what you’re seeing?

Goose mounts mute swan (Cygnus olor) and attempts copulatory activity at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Well, he’s at least a little closer to, er, sealing the deal.

Is Patches successfully penetrating Lady Katherine? I’m not sure. Sometimes it does not appear to be so, but that’s not surprising; I doubt any bird achieves success every time that sex is attempted. Patches does seem to know that he has to back up much further than he would with another goose, but as you can see in the last pic, he has to negotiate around Lady Katherine’s large tail, which makes the situation more difficult. I have witnessed Lady Katherine engaging in some post-copulatory displays, and I definitely have witnessed Patches in such displays, but I don’t know if geese or swans display after successful copulation or if they do so even after attempted but unsuccessful copulation. A couple of times I saw Patches’s pseudopenis still extended after he disengaged from Lady Katherine, but again, I don’t know whether that means penetration was successful or if he had been preparing for penetration but did not succeed. I don’t remember if Patches displayed after either of the attempts I recorded last year, but I do remember that once Patches dismounted after this attempt, he chomped Lady Katherine’s neck.

They were back at it the next day.

Mute swan (Cygnus olor) and goose engage in courtship/pre-copulatory displays before mating at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Annie, suspicious of Patches’s claim that he and Lady Katherine were just “going for a swim,” decided to follow them.

Goose attempts to mount a mute swan (Cygnus olor) at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

All aboard the S.S. EWWWWWWW!

Goose attempts copulatory activity with mute swan (Cygnus olor) at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Patches? What the fuck are you doing?!

Goose attempts copulatory activity with mute swan (Cygnus olor) at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Sadly for Annie, Patches was not yet ready to leave.

The mating sequences from 2015 will be displayed after the cut.

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