Ok, so why were those jakes / small toms chasing the chicks, why were the chicks fleeing (some flew up and landed in small alders that wouldn't support the weight of the bigger birds), and why was the mom so frantic trying to chase off the males? If not trying to kill/eat them, what WAS going on?

Anyone who thinks there's two sides to everything hasn't met a M�bius strip.

Here be dragons ...