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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.kootenay-lake.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/redpoll160124cs.jpg\")
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The Sun came out; the birds came out;\u00a0I came out — and took a distinctly odd\u00a0picture. We are used to seeing folded wings on perched birds, and extended wings on flying birds. But, this shot shows folded wings on flying birds. <\/p>\n
I was watching a flock of redpolls. They would alight on\u00a0a bush, feed on seeds, and then abruptly take off all at once only to fly to an adjacent bush.<\/p>\n
As do many small birds, redpolls use flap-bounding flight. Flight follows\u00a0an undulatory path\u00a0where birds flap through the troughs, and fold their wings to bound across the ridges where they follow a nearly ballistic trajectory. It is called bounding flight because it resembles the bounding gait of leaping earth-bound animals. Apparently such a flight pattern saves energy and allows birds to fly slower than their normal cruising speed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This view shows redpolls feeding on seeds before taking to the air once again.
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As redpolls spend half their flight time flapping and half bounding (with folded wings), a typical view of them flying shows about half in each mode.
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.kootenay-lake.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/redpoll160124bs.jpg\")
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At one point, a\u00a0distinctly odd image was captured where almost all were bounding. I suspect that there is a simple explanation. Birds take off together, and all start\u00a0by flapping. Before they get out of synchronization, most will then begin bounding at the same time. A picture taken at that moment makes them look like a shoal\u00a0of\u00a0fish.
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.kootenay-lake.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/redpoll160124s.jpg\")
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The Sun came out; the birds came out;\u00a0I came out — and took a distinctly odd\u00a0picture. We are used to seeing folded wings on perched birds, and extended wings on flying birds. But, this shot shows folded wings on … Continue reading