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From: JAHAYES@MIAMIU.BITNET (Josh Hayes)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: What are these birds doing and why?
Message-ID: <90348.124754JAHAYES@MIAMIU.BITNET>
Date: 14 Dec 90 17:47:54 GMT
References: <4514@wrgate.WR.TEK.COM>
Organization: Miami University - Academic Computer Service
Lines: 43

In article <4514@wrgate.WR.TEK.COM>, dmunroe@copper.WR.TEK.COM (David Munroe)
says:
>
>The setting: Portland Oregon, early October, about 7pm, in a large weeded
>field (several acres) near a suburban shopping center.  I noticed about 50
>to 75 sparrowlike birds, probably larger and darker, clustered together and
>flying in large clockwise circles about 75 feet above the ground.  Sometimes
>a few birds would break away, but they'd eventually come back.  Sometimes
>several different groups of circling birds would join into one large group.
>...they kept this up for over half an hour...
>
It sounds like starling evening flocking behavior. I see this all the
time (and, I suppose, most people who live in a populated area do, too).
They usually seem to roost communally, but they've been feeding in a
rather dispersed pattern. In the evening, they start flying around in
a large circle, picking up birds, often for an hour. If you watch for
the whole time, you'll notice that while a few birds drop out, more
come in, and the final flock is much larger than the initial group.
Then they fly off to some nice trees to poop on whatever sits below.
(I don't much like starlings, but every once in a while I see a really
brightly iridescent male in the sun and they can be strikingly lovely.)
 
>Also there is a stream, a pond, and some ducks here.  The ducks are very
>elegant in flight except, in my opinion, they beat their wings too fast.
>When they come in for a landing (on the pond) they seem to botch the landings:
>their wings are stretched out straight, tilt way over one way, then the other
>way, break quickly, and plop down in the water.  Is this typical of duck
>landings or do they just have problems zeroing in on small ponds?
 
Heck, YOU try it. What they have to do, of course, is a controlled
stall. Any pilot will tell you that is tricky. And they're usually
flying at a deceptively fast speed (i.e. they go faster than you
think). Ducks are pretty good, mostly; I've seen a fair number of
wading birds do nose-dives on landing...it's kinda endearing, actually.
But, also as any test-pilot will tell you, a successful landing is one
you survive.
 
Ta.
 
Josh Hayes, Zoology Department, Miami University, Oxford OH 45056
voice: 513-529-1679      fax: 513-529-6900
jahayes@miamiu.bitnet, or jahayes@miamiu.acs.muohio.edu
"I am the Supreme Being, you know; I'm not completely dim."