Birding in the rain at Crex Meadows (Grantsburg, Wis.) today we found a pair of roosters Ring-necked Pheasants fighting. It's that season. First, make war. Then, the victor makes pheasant love. The birds cirlced each other slowly, like boxers. Then, one would leap and strike. I've never seen these birds battle before, but I have seen the spurs they carry on what passes for bird ankles. They look like deadly weapons. These birds struck at each other and wrestled five times before one decided to call it quits.
