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William Seger

(11,546 posts) Tue Mar 4, 2025, 12:38 PM Mar 4

I just saw something incredible

I have an open tray bird feeder on my balcony, and it's very windy today. I just saw a sparrow pointed into the wind, but flying backwards because of the wind speed, plop smack in the middle of the feeder!

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I just saw something incredible (Original Post) William Seger Mar 4 OP

Oh my word, poor baby. Hope it will be okay. niyad Mar 4 #1

Oh yes, he started eating right away -- don't think it was an accident William Seger Mar 4 #3

I hope bird is ok! SheltieLover Mar 4 #2

Birds are really amazing, if you watch them closely enough. eppur_se_muova Mar 4 #4

niyad

(123,303 posts)

1. Oh my word, poor baby. Hope it will be okay.

Reply to William Seger (Original post)

Tue Mar 4, 2025, 12:42 PM

Mar 4

William Seger

(11,546 posts)

3. Oh yes, he started eating right away -- don't think it was an accident

Reply to niyad (Reply #1)

Tue Mar 4, 2025, 12:48 PM

Mar 4

Now that I think about it, birds living in this area must need to deal with winds faster than they can fly often enough that they might need to develop skills like that.

SheltieLover

(66,696 posts)

2. I hope bird is ok!

Reply to William Seger (Original post)

Tue Mar 4, 2025, 12:44 PM

Mar 4

Weird weather for sure! Violent storms forecast for this red shithole with winds up tp 50 mph. Gawd knows they didn't build this place for this.

Stay safe all!

eppur_se_muova

(38,914 posts)

4. Birds are really amazing, if you watch them closely enough.

Reply to William Seger (Original post)

Tue Mar 4, 2025, 12:57 PM

Mar 4

Most know how to hover motionless over one spot by facing into the wind. Driving over the (now damaged) Key Bridge you often pass seagulls hovering over the water, looking for fish. Hummingbirds, BTW, aren't the only birds that can fly backwards; they just do it better, and more often.

Years ago I noticed for the first time that small birds sometimes accelerate in spurts, then fold their wings against their bodies, and follow a near-parabolic trajectory for an instant before opening their wings again. This one aimed for a landing in the middle of a chain-link fence; the opening was just big enough for him with his wings folded and his landing gear out. A quick "flare" before folding his wings and he slipped right in.

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