Whoever first coined the old observation that spring is for lovers, must have spent time watching birds.  The peacocks at work have regrown their glorious tail feathers.  They spend a lot of time fanning them out to their full beauty and doing their vigorous dance in front of every nearby peahen.   I feel like humming the old disco hit, "Shake shake shake... shake shake shake... shake your booty" whenever I see them in their courting ritual.

Less impressive to the human eye, but no less determined, is one male pigeon.  Everytime I see him, he has his neck feathers puffed out like a Victorian-era ruff while he prances and chases females.

You men who don't like to dance, might want to take note.  Energetic moves attract the attention of interested females.

More flowers burst out on my Jamaican caper bushes every day.  The sweet scent attracts bees and other insects.  Mid-flight copulation is quite the feat -- and I'm not talking about any mile-high club. 

Unlike dolphins, who get busy with each other 365 days a year, manatees are beginning their prime mating season.   That explains why, at around 8:15 this morning in the harbor behind my house, a couple of manatees engaged in full contact sea cow nookie. 

Darned exhibitionists didn't care the slightest that they were in full view of anybody who cruised through the channel.

I couldn't see much (thank goodness!) but it appeared to involve a lot of rolling around together in the water with occasional tail paddle slaps.  Not the most graceful mating dance in the world, but I'm sure they got the job done.

They'd probably think the same about us. 

In the absence of fiercer birds, there's a veritable PigeonFest in my yard almost every day, and most of the feathered rats seem a lot more interested in the food supply than in each other's, um, tails.