First let me say congratulations!

Second, I loved your account of the morning. It is great when a plan comes together isn' t it.

I have indeed witnessed similar behavior to what you have described with the exception of walking up that close to the live bird. When the hormones are raging in these birds like they are you do see bizarre behavior. In the bird world (and elsewhere for that matter) breeding season is something else. I have seen a cardinal for example pick a fight with it' s own reflection in a window and end up breaking it' s neck in the process. [X(]