These images show an encounter of two pairs of black-necked stilts, one with two chicks and the other without (as far as I could tell). They were taken at the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in Huntington Beach, CA on June 6, 2004 over a period of 45 minutes. The parents were moving their chicks down the eastern shore of the lagoon. The other pair appeared to be challenging the two with chicks over territory, landing close by and squatting as if to claim the space. This enraged the parents, who attacked by swooping down over the (apparently) intruding pair. The fight moved into the air several times, with the intruders periodically retreating to a point a short distance away as if to regroup. They returned several times, renewing their challenge. Meanwhile, the chicks continued to move south along the shore in and out of the water and stopped for a while to take shelter under their mother's wings. They then moved across the trail and twice more took shelter under their mother's wings. Aerial encounters continued. The photos were taken with a telephoto (450 to 600mm) lens and cropped. (Click for larger versions)