Birds on a Hot Tin Roof

This is another of those observation things again.

During this stretch of hot weather, I have noticed a behavior with the barn swallows that I cannot explain.

There are about twenty mud swallow nests scattered in the barn; in the rafters, near the peak, under the overhang. The parents are scrambling for bugs with lightning fast swoops and dives all day long, in an effort to feed the many hatchlings begging for food.

In the afternoon, after the temperature gets over 90 degrees, the adults take a break from their daunting schedule and begin landing on the sunny side of the barn roof. When I look over at the roof on the shady side, no birds are hovering or landing at all. They tend to group up a bit, but not close. I have counted a hundred or more birds on the roof at one time.

I can’t detect a pattern. Some seem more social; moving from one group to the next with a hop, skip and flap. Others find a spot and just dally there for anywhere from a minute to five, only moving to stretch a wing or reset their feet on the slippery roof. If one bird lands on the roof, the signal for others to join soon has all work at a standstill. The birds move around the roof, or take small flights, only to return to the hot surface.

Meanwhile, the nests inside the barn are quiet. The little chicks can be seen tipping their beaks over the edge of the nest, but they are not making any sounds for attention.

This break-time lasts a half hour or more, then bug catching begins in earnest and continues until the sun goes down.

In my world, I don’t think anyone could convince me to sit on a hot tin roof in the blistering heat. Yet, these little characters seem to enjoy their social time away from the bug catching grind of the workday.