Have you ever noticed sparrows lining up on the gutter of your house or the neighbor’s roofline? First one flies in, then two more, then three join them, until there are twelve sparrows looking out over the yard. Suddenly, they all fly down to a bird feeder or a birdbath as if the leader gave the signal to fly. They stay a few minutes, and then fly off together to the nearest bush, only to start the gathering-on-the-gutter routine over again.

One spring day, Walter and I were bird watching and taking pictures from our veranda when we witnessed this repeating ritual. After looking at closeup photos of the sparrows, we could see the difference between a mature sparrow and a juvenile with their yellow feet and wide beaks. With determined looks on their little faces, the older birds were teaching the youngsters everything there is to know about gutter gathering, bathing, and birdseed. Walter decided that the small birds thought they were “hawks in training.” We now call them the H.I.T. Squad.

Speaking of birds gathering together, I’m sure you’ve seen blackbirds crammed side by side on the power lines above an intersection at dusk. That sight has always been a bit creepy to me—a carryover from the movie The Birds. Where do they all come from, and why do they do this? 

Too Many Birds
by Dee Bowlin

I find it quite disturbing when I see
a thousand blackbirds start to congregate
on power lines above my head. To me, 
the question is, “What do they contemplate?”
I realize they huddle wing to wing
as weary birds will do for warmth at dusk,
exhausted from their day of foraging,
but still, I watch with goosebumps and mistrust.
They flitter, fuss, and noisily they flock
at intersections over traffic lights,
their feathered shadows blackening the block.
And then, when suddenly they all take flight,
I freeze with fear. I’m like a Hitchcock star.
I hold my breath—’cause I just washed my car!