Interspecies Frolicking

[DeadCalm]

This one's a little odd, but please help me out here. I was an avid squirrel hunter in my youth and learned a lot about their habits and behavior. So too with magpies. I had an entertaining 15 minutes this AM when I watched a squirrel and a magpie seeming to play a game of tag. The stage was this: a huge backyard spruce tree with a power line touching it. The line ran from the spruce out to the alley, to a utility pole. That pole then connected power line that were perpindicular to the line running from the tree. I have seen this scrawny little (mountain) squirrel run the lines over several weeks. Kind of his own private highway to cover several backyard destinations.

Today a rather fat magpie sat on one of his commute lines. The squirrel ran up close to the magpie on the the wire and then scurried back to the safety of the transformer and its nest of wire connections. To make this short, the squirrel ran back and forth on the line with the magpie hot on his tail, literally. They seemd to taunt and chase each other over the wires, with no sounds from either. The squirrel played hide and seek by staying on the blind side of the telephone pole with those bursts of "running the line." The bird hovered behind the squirrel in these runs but without going on a direct attack of him. The squirrel finally shot back onto the line that led to the spruce and he was gone. Shortly after that I heard the magpie squawk as he flew into the squirrel's tree.

The question is this: do you think that this was interspecies play, a battle of territory and dominance, or a basic "Get Out of My Face" response?

Thanks for your help.

Ross Bellingham

 

[TrapperReady]

And I thought this was going to be one of those "drunk frat guy" threads.

 

[DeadCalm]

Sorry, TrapperReady, I just couldn't craft it with that provocative a slant. Although you're right, the title has great potential!
Ross

 

[Harve Curry]

Interspecies Frolicking ?

I've seen Elk cows and beef cows checking each other out. Stretch their necks out to smell and nose each other. Then just stand around looking at each other nose to nose while others go about eating.

Also saw a pronghorn being chased by 1 coyote, the he turned and slammed the coyote at about 50mph, tumbled him in a big cloud of dust and the chase was reversed.

Then there are Jack burros, they will go after any kind of mare, anytime, anyplace, they almost can't get enough. The mares will kick them where it counts and they still keep on a going. Last one I had was registered name of "Slick Willie". He crawled under a fence one to many times to get to some neighbors mares and was shot poor Slick Willie .