Mass Exodus Of Birds
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A little bit ago, a mass exodus of birds caught my attention out of the corner of my eye.
All of a sudden, a large flock of Cedar Waxwings descended on my patio. It was amazing to watch.
They ate the berries on the tree, then the group of Cedar Waxwings took off and headed to a distant tree.
From where I typically sit, when there’s something moving out on the patio, I will often see the movement. And I’ll turn to see what caught my eye. It’s usually birds or squirrels moving about.
Then I spotted a mockingbird out on the patio. Before I could even get up with my camera, it was replaced with about a dozen robins.
A Flock Of Birds Swoop In:
I wondered what it meant when various types of birds arrive in flocks all of a sudden? So I did a little research.
The classic research on how flocking birds move in unison comes from zoologist Wayne Potts, who published in the journal Nature in 1984.
His work showed that bird in flocks don’t just follow a leader, or their neighbors. Instead, they anticipate sudden changes in the flock’s direction of motion.
And he said, once a change in direction begins in the flock, it then “spreads through the flock in a wave.”
Scientists have been unable to find evidence of a dominant leader in the flock. The leadership seems to change frequently. A single bird can alter the direction of an entire flock.
But how do vast numbers of fast-moving birds in such proximity coordinate changes of direction quickly and safely?
They follow three basic rules. Fly in the same direction as your neighbor. Stay close to them, and avoid collisions.
This relies on sensory systems that detect position and movement accurately. And also on rapid responses that coordinate directional changes.
How Many Birds Are In A Flock?
So how many birds are in a flock?
For a backyard flock, size depends on the total number of birds present, regardless of species.
A small backyard flock consists of fewer than 20 total birds. A medium flock has 20 to 99 total birds. A large flock runs from 100 to 999.
Birds staying in a flock means it’s harder for a predator to identify a single target. A group of birds can confuse or overwhelm a predator.
American robins flock in large numbers toward the end of winter just before they migrate back to where they came from.
Murmurations:
There is also a phenomenon called a murmuration. It’s named after the noise that is made by the many flapping wings of a group of starlings in flight.
Then the birds spread out and come together. The flock splits apart and fuses again. Murmurations constantly change direction.
Hi there. My husband said those birds are cedar waxwings, just as others have said. He knows birds much better than I do so I showed him the photo. He’s of the opinion that the robins and cedar waxwings are birds who like to be in flocks and they are out looking for a meal so that’s why they visited you the way they did — just hoping to find something to eat! In the close-up photo of the cedar waxwings they are eating privet berries. You get some wonderful photos of wildlife on your little patio, and I’d say that all of your vegetation makes it look like a safe and tempting place. I don’t cut things back in the fall but wait until a nice day in late February or early March. I figure the plant growth can provide a bit of shelter to a little critter, and, the snow looks pretty on top of the dead plants. Great post!
I love your blog. I live in Troup TX. It is close to Tyler, and I go there to shop and to the doctor. I am dying to figure out where you used to live. I keep looking for a two story that backs up to a burger place ! If your ex doesn’t live there anymore, would you be willing to send me the address ? I might be a safer drive if I could quit looking for your house !
I love your blog. I live in Troup TX. It is close to Tyler, and I go there to shop and to the doctor. I am dying to figure out where you used to live. I keep looking for a two story that backs up to a burger place ! If your ex doesn’t live there anymore, would you be willing to send me the address. I might be a safer drive if I could quit looking for your house !
I always lived the one day a year the cedar waxwings would strip the crab apples of berries. Lovely sight! And a huge flock of robins came through about this time to strip holly berries and their noise was fascinating. We have 3 large hollies here that last winter whend we moved in were loaded with big red berries. Not a one this year and we haven’t done any pruning. Isn’t that strange?
They are Cedar Waxwings. I have only seen them once in Indiana. A flock landed on a bush in our yard that had berries on it and they ate for a time and then moved on which made me believe they were migrating. I have never seen them again. But it was thrilling to see them.
If you posted pictures of small apartments I didn’t find them. I too enjoy looking at the small places and the many ways they are decorated and the ingenuity of making it all work.
As usual, your photos are great. The birds look so close and your houseplants look so green and healthy. I will be paying more attention to my houseplants as a result of seeing how pretty yours look.
I cleaned out the cupboard in my laundry room this week (this chore was long overdue); uncovered a few Christmas presents I had been unable to find and mailed them this week. Guess I should’ve caught the cleaning “bug” in early December! The clean up of the walk in closets are next on the chore list. Ugh! I know that I will be happy to check this off my list.
Take care and have a wonderful Friday!
How lucky you were to see a flock of cedar waxwings! I love those birds. One year a pair built a nest in a small tree outside my kitchen window and I watched the babies hatch, grow and eventually fly away. Your pictures brought back some great memories.
Flocks of starlings have been coming through southwest Milwaukee County, WI for about a month already, which is unusually early. My guess is that the weather where they winter-over got warm early and they headed back north. We still have February and March to get through though, and we haven’t really had a blizzard yet this season. We can get horrid weather in those 2 months here, tons of snow and cold. But for now, it seems the Polar Vortex has dissapated. Today the snow is melting and it’s sunny but winds are strong, gusting up to 35 mph. We did have 2 January thaws this year, very unusual. I hope this spring is not like last season. It started warming up a lot in February and some of my perennials started coming up – WAY too early! I was in a panic. Of course we had nasty freezes return and snow, but fortunately, it didn’t seem that I’d suffered any damaged to my early-bird flowers! Squirrels are mating already, that is always a sign of an early spring.
Cedar waxwings are so pretty aren’t they? My mom saw a flock of them years ago down here in Florida .
Perhaps you have a storm coming…..? I’ve been waiting for our weather to clear so I can get out and trim back the rose bushes. But, we’ve had rain….and rain….and then some rain. Well, it’s Oregon–rain happens. I’m enjoying the variety of your posts lately.
(Oh–and it’s unanimous; they’re cedar waxwings.)
I, too, agree with Waxwing. One day I was walking home on the former rail line, now part of the across Canada walking trail, and came to an old apple tree filled with these birds. It was the first time I had ever seen them, so I looked them up as soon as I reached home. I love the variety of birds you see on your patio. We downsized a few years ago, now the main birds I get at the feeder are crows, blue jays and mourning doves…….and an odd seagull!!
Birds are so interesting. Did you see this article about how intelligent they are: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/jan/18/why-bird-brained-may-not-be-such-an-insult-after-all
I see you have received the answer to the birds’ idenity, but I wanted to say thanks for the easy-to-access tabs for the books review, and the addition of small house living. I enjoy those, and it’s so much easier than scrolling through many posts to locate. Have a great day!
The cedar waxwings fly through in a flock here in Wis. and feast on crabapple trees in October here. They strip the trees and then they’re gone after a day or two. They have a crest similar to blue jays and cardinals. Maybe you have some fruit/berry trees and/or bushes they enjoy?
Might they be cedar waxwings?
Cedar Waxwings, lucky you to see them