Re: flocking

["Larry Febo" <larryf@capital.net>]

<<Date: Thu, 20 May 1999 06:09:45 -0700 (PDT)
From: Bill Adlam <sagitta_elegans@yahoo.com>
To: qilongia@yahoo.com
Cc: dinosaur@usc.edu
Subject: Re: flocking
Message-ID: <19990520130945.22889.rocketmail@send205.yahoomail.com>

Jaime wrote:

> <The skein does follow the bird at the front, but this
> has nothing to do with pecking order. Different birds
> take turns in going first, and suffering higher drag.>
>
>   I was wondering about that. I mean, horse herds opt
> to have the "boss" the back, but why would the Flying
> V's [skeins?] opt for the morew turbulent leading
> edge? Indeed, thanks for the correction.

You do see the skeins rearranging from time to time.  I presume that
eventually the leading bird gets tired and slows down a bit, and one
of the others overtakes it.  Then the rest settle into the most
comfortable positions.

Bill Adlam >>

Just a thought. Could it be possible that there are varying air currents up
where the geese are flying, and that , say...a shift of this current toward
the "left" of the flock would result in the bird to the immediate right of
this current assume the lead?? I`ve seen shifts where it`s not one of the
two birds in second position that takes the lead, but perhaps one from the
middle of a "trailing arm". (Perhaps this is simply the result of finding
the path of least physical resistance, and does not represent any
complicated "pecking order").

See what I think.... http://www.capital.net/~larryf/