Courtship
I’ve read them: the Medieval originals where knights battle over the love of a lady. Today I witnessed them for real.
Het Zwin, the nature reserve that crosses the border between Belgium and the Netherlands, is famous for its water fowl.
Today we went there for a quick visit. It was a long time since I had been there (the last time must have been when I was a kid) and things had changed considerably. There was an impressive museum, teaching about migratory birds in interactive installations, and there were several different paths through the dunes, the sea swamps and the forested patches.
The storks are regulars here. Since spring has made its hesitant arrival in these parts, these impressive beauties had landed to start nesting on the high poles provided for them everywhere around the site.
Sometimes you could get very close.
Between the storks, things had long since become clear. Each nest was occupied by a couple. And they were far from idle.
Among the gulls, however, courtship — or should I say: battle? — was still going on in full force.
All pictures below were taken of the same threesome of birds in a time frame of less than five minutes.
I’m guessing two males, fighting over one female… I’m not sure who came out as a winner in the end, but they sure made a lot of noise. Notice how the female sometimes flees, sometimes stays put surprisingly calmly as the battle is raging almost over her head.
I’ve also learned today that in love, anything goes. Including trying to drown your rivals.
Personally, I’ll take the storks’ far gentler ballet any time…
