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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxt!js2j
From: js2j@mhuxt.UUCP (sonntag)
Newsgroups: net.rec.birds
Subject: Bird Wars
Message-ID: <486@mhuxt.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 8-Jan-85 16:19:09 EST
Article-I.D.: mhuxt.486
Posted: Tue Jan  8 16:19:09 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 9-Jan-85 04:54:50 EST
Distribution: net
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill
Lines: 28


    While driving across Pennsylvania this fall (around September), I saw
what appeared at first to be a large swarm of bees hovering and flying back
and forth, changing directions, etc.   I soon realized that this was merely
a trick of perspective and that it was actually a flock of small birds about
300 yards away.  This behavior seemed so strange to me that I stopped the car
on the edge of I-80 to watch.  Once I had stopped, I could see that there was
one larger bird (~crow or hawk sized, it was too far for me to tell) that 
seemed to be leading the flock back and forth and up and down.  After observing
for a short while, I realized that the flock of small birds was CHASING the
large bird all over the place.  The small birds could fly faster than the
large bird, and would almost catch up to it when the large bird would change
direction suddenly, gaining a few yards of lead.
   I was wondering if maybe the bird watchers and naturalists who frequent
this newsgroup would be able to explain this behavior.  Like:
    1.)  What could the large bird have done to get so many small birds 
         so pi**ed off at it?
    2.)  How come the small birds were faster and less manueverable than the
         large bird?  I would have expected the opposite.
    3.)  What would the small birds have done, had they succeeded in catching
         the large bird?
    4.)  Don't they have better things to do?
    I always thought of small birds as peaceful insect eaters.  These seemed
almost Hitchcockian.
-- 
Jeff Sonntag
ihnp4!mhuxt!js2j
    "Step right up, get your free TANSTAAFL!"