Barrow’s Goldeneye

A first sign of spring—courting, male Barrow’s Goldeneyes—except it was on 17 December 2019 at Woodard Bay northeast of Olympia. We found a flock of three males and two females, a number typical for this species when courting—they may form groups of up to 20 birds. Courtship pair formation begins in November and lasts until males abandon females in early incubation (Eadie et al. 2000). Curiously, however, pairs sometimes reform in subsequent breeding seasons. What I at first took to be a submissive posture in the closer bird may be a threat— a display seen in both males and females, The other male was pumping its head up and down—a common and variable courtship display.