Every bird behind another bird gets benefit of turbulence. Decreased wind
resistance, hopefully enhanced lift. These whitefronts have already been flying
500km since they left Kfalls and must put in another 1,900 km before they stop
at the Alaska Penninsula. I don't think any Canada Geese go that far non-stop.
Cackling Geese maybe. Of necessity GWFG are far more sensitive to tiny
advantages in drafting. Also their wingspan to body weight ratio is higher than
Canadas'. This lighter wingload makes whitefronts more maneuverable .
Lumbering Canadas simple CAN'T float around that way.Sent from my Verizon,
Samsung Galaxy smartphone
-------- Original message --------From: Linda Fink <linda@xxxxxxxx> Date:
4/12/24 2:53 PM (GMT-08:00) To: Dan Gleason <Dan-gleason@xxxxxxxxxxx> Cc:
OBOLINKS <obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Subject: [obol] Re: laughing geese Thanks, Dan. I
certainly understand the V formation in Canada Geese. But what the strategy is
with the long strings of White-fronts that periodically drop back and around
and do loops is beyond me. That the lead bird needs to rest is
understandable... but that doesn't explain the birds behind it. Maybe if I
could watch a longer flight than just what appears out of the clouds here for a
few minutes... although the Canadas seem to always have nice V's and a sensible
way of letting the leader drop back and someone else take over in that same
short space of visibility for me... Nonetheless, I love the laughing geese.
They sound so chaotically happy.LindaOn 4/12/2024 11:29 AM, Dan Gleason wrote:>
> Hi Linda,> It does look a bit chaotic at times, doesn’t it. But each bird
is working for its own advantage. The lead bird tires more quickly than the
others and drops back soon to find an easier place. You probably know all of
this already. It’s a form of drafting much like cyclists trailing close behind
another or tailgating behind a large semi. The wind coming off of the back and
wingtips can give at advantage to the trailing bird. The second bird is also
slightly above the front bird, although this can’t be easily seen from the
ground. A V-formation works best as each bird can then get an advantage from
the bird ahead of it. As birds travel a long distance they need to drop back
from a lead position more frequently to conserve energy so trading places
happens more often. The advantage of drafting is significant and does help with
those long flights.> > As for all the vocalizing - Geese are generally more
constantly vocal while flying in formation than when on the ground. It’s
thought that this helps maintain flock integrity and help individuals with
their positioning in the flock. A V-formation not only helps each individual
but helps the flock as a whole and allows for the least energy expenditure
overall. It can sound very noisy but the vocalizations help each bird and
thereby, the whole flock benefits and keeps energy expenditure to a minimum on
long-distance flights.> > Dan Gleason> > Dan Gleason> Owner, Wild Birds
Unlimited of Eugene> Ornithology Instructor, retired, University of Oregon>
dan-gleason@xxxxxxxxxxx> > >> On Apr 12, 2024, at 10:34 AM, Linda Fink
<linda@xxxxxxxx> wrote:>> This morning about 8 a.m. a skein of laughing geese
(aka White-fronted Geese) flew over our farm going south to north. It's a
wonder they ever get anywhere as disorganized as their skein is, with birds
dropping back, crossing over, wandering around, all the while laughing their
heads off. Strange birds.>>>> Linda Fink, SW Yamhill County near Grand Ronde
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