Today, I saw many birds on a wire that runs along the street that’s about two hundred feet from the far end of the pond. I thought it was a small flock passing through town.
But as I watched and took photos, I began to see and hear familiar sounds. I had thought the season of nesting and baby birds had ended. But as I watched this line-up on the wire I began to realize they were all fledglings. And the parents were busily feeding them still. It wasn’t till I was home and able to view the photos on my computer that I could identify them as Barn Swallows.
Above, a hungry young is vying for attention. And below, parents fly in, ready to position themselves for feedings.
I can’t determine how the parent decides which bird gets the food. Below, two of the young show their hunger with beaks open.
At one point, about four of the birds flew off with one of the adults (image below.) Four others remained on the wire. I have no idea how young birds know who is to go for a trial flight and who is to stay put. But I do know that there is a system of behaviors – sound and motion signals – that dictates these activities, and it’s the parent who makes the call, so to speak. 
What you won’t see is how this scene ended. In the blink of an eye, the final four birds abruptly and simultaneously flew from the wire – without the accompaniment of a parent. I know – not only from what I’d seen already from these birds, but from observing the Red-winged Blackbird – that a parent escorts a group of young.
I was puzzled by this sudden and unexpected flight. So surprised in fact, that I brought the camera down from my eye, and audibly said, “What?” I was really puzzled. I found myself looking around – for the birds, or for meaning in their departure. About forty feet to my left, was the frightening answer. A Red-tailed Hawk was swooping in, having just come over the treeline. I was stunned. It was not more than thirty feet from where the birds had been. By the time I got my camera back up to my eye and was focusing, it had turned back and was just dropping behind the trees, as you can see in this zoomed-in grainy image. The predatory bird is just to the left of the treeline, midway down the image. 
It was a treat to upload these images and to see the detail of the activities that had occurred in less than five minutes time.
Birds on a Wire
SilverLining 