OT:Harsh winter

[Jethro_uk]

Last night, over an hour, saw 7 separate flocks of birds (I'm not ornithologist) all flying roughly south, in a "V" formation ...

Do they know something we don't ?

[Andy Burns]

Only that it's autumn, I tend to hear several formations of geese honking their way over per night, in fact they started several weeks ago.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Geese fly in the morning Wind farm warning

yeah the Canada's are heading off somewhere.

Or heading in from Scandinavia.

[Olav M]

Here in west central Scotland migration has finished! Geese a few weeks ago. Swans mid/early August. They fly quite low (over me anyway), and make a strange creaking noise. I imagine it's the flexing of their feathers. They really do have a large wingspan, and neck is fully extended in flight. Magnificent to watch.

[Dave Liquorice]

It is that. Trees starting to turn. Lit the wood burner last night to augment heating, just lit it for this evening as well.

[Andy Burns]

In an office we used to rent a few years ago, we were right under their flightpath (a largish meadow/floodplain nearby as a landmark perhaps?)

If we were working late, I'd say "There's some more geese going over, can't you hear them?" but my colleagues never seemed to, they thought I was hearing things ...

[harryagain]

They would be geese.

They fly in the wingtip vortex of the bird in front so saving energy.

[ARW]

Yes, they know how to fly without building an aeroplane and paying for a pilot:-)

[Tim Watts]

On Wednesday 18 September 2013 18:36 harryagain wrote in uk.d-i-y:

So how do they decide which bastard gets to go in front?

[ARW]

They take turns.

[John Williamson]

They take turns. As the lead bird tires, it drops back into the echelon

[Artic]

Tim Watts scribbled...

It's the one with a yellow jersey.

[The Other Mike]

echelon you say?

kill the president

[Vir Campestris]

Not necessarily,

Because most large birds do this - even down to the size of seagulls.

Andy

[Bill Wright]

It's the useful idiot in the flock.

Bill

[harryagain]

It's the one that knows the way.

[harryagain]

Which birds exactly? It would only be "flocking" and migratory birds.

The only others I have seen is pelicans, (which also use "ground effect" and wave generated lift.) Ocassionally dynamic effects.

[Vir Campestris]

Ducks geese swans seagulls cranes storks....

Strangely solitary birds don't. Must be something to do with being on their own. So yes,they are all flocking species.

Andy