"Playground Bullies" at Saltair

["Carol Gwynn" <cgwynn at earthlink dot net>]

I discovered today that there are "playground bullies" in the bird world,
too.   I was watching a group of 26 Snowy Egrets on the pond (what's left of
it) closest to the boat ramp at Saltair.  Most of the egrets were juveniles,
and acting like it.  One actually stomped on another, and momentarily pushed
its head underwater and held it there with its foot.  Others were doing a
great deal of posturing - head feathers raised, etc.  They were certainly
defending their few square centimeters of water with its associated
delicacies.  There were also about the same number of Greater Yellowlegs
feeding.  Lee Kay Ponds had Redheads, Ruddies, the usual Pelicans and
Cormorants, as well as Western Sandpipers and a Spotted Sandpiper.  And 50
bazillion dump trucks that were determined to coat the front of my scope
with dirt. . .

Carol