the drakes of both G.E.'s start doing it here as early as mid-December.....by this point in the season when a flock of eihter species comes in they start doing it as soon as they hit the water....if a single drake comes in they'll land next to a hen decoy and as soon as they stop sliding they'll do that head throw..
They're probably saying something as well but I can't hear it....I've known for a long time that my hearing was shot but didn't realize how bad it was until Jason Russell came out to hunt a couple of weeks ago....My brother, Jason and I were in the boat and Jason would say....."I hear an Eagle"....I'd say "I don't hear it" and my brother would say "HUH"?......
THe first morning I had told Jason that there should be Harlequins around and that one of the "colloquial" names for them was "little blue sea mice" because the drakes squeak a good deal in the air while they are chasing after the hens.....early in the morning Jason said...."I hear squesking"....I said "I don't hear it", and my brother said "HUH"?......about that time I see a pair of birds coming in low on the water getting ready to land.....I start yelling "HARLEQUIN...HARLEQUIN...shoot, shoot, shoot".......Jason says "should I shoot it"?....and my brother said "HUH"?......
I yelled "YES"....Jason's gun said "BOOM", I said "MIKE!" to send the dog and my brother said "HUH"?......
Doesn't have anything to do with the hens doing the head throw but its a fun story....
Steve