Beth, I'm not sure about the Swallows, but I remember reading in Hope Is a Thing With Feathers, that the now extinct Carolina Parakeets did this same thing. It made it a lot easier for the "feather hunters" to wipe out a whole flock. When they shot one bird, the others would swirl around it and get shot in turn. Sad.
-Rolan
Calliopehb at aol.com wrote: Hi Tweeters,
I had an interesting experience today while on my sales rounds today around
the Arlington area. I turned on a residential street off hwy. 530 as I passed
by a car coming from the opposite direction (probably the culprit) and
observed a movement on the road. As I drove closer, I noticed a flock of
Swallows swooping down toward the moving (flopping) object in the road. I
pulled my vehicle around it, parked and walked back only to discover a Barn
Swallow trying desperately to fly away. I picked it up, it probably had
rattled brains, put it in a container I have for just such an event, and took
it over to Sarvey Wildlife Center.
What I found really interesting, is that the entire flock of Swallows were
swooping in on this injured member. I believe they were trying to coax it
back up them. Any ideas on this behavior??
Thanks,
Happily Birding,
Beth Thompson
Arlington, WA

Rolan Nelson
Burley, WA
rnbuffle at yahoo.com


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