I watched a pair of HOODED MERGANSERS mate at Ben Brenman Park this morning.
The female took a submissive posture by lowering herself as low in the water
as she could get, with her bill actually lying on the surface. When the male
began the procreative act, he hopped on her back, pushing her entirely below
the water. It took 6 to 7 seconds to complete and they repeated the act
once.
http://www.pbase.com/bb_etc/hoodies_mate
I had the company of a list member, Les, from the Richmond area, who drove
up just to see the Hoodies based on my previous report for Ben Brenman.
Cliff Otto
Alexandria
