Birds’ brains help them sustain flight
“That is probably the most interesting thing about a bird,” Dr. Jim Heath told the Lake Buchanan Conservation Corp. during their Oct. 21 meeting.
Heath lives near Lake Buchanan and is a visiting zoology scholar at the University of Texas in Austin.
The professor was invited to discuss “How Birds Fly” by LBCC treasurer Ron Abshier.
Birds rely on the length and depth of their wings to lift them into the air and sustain flight, Heath said, adding their body mass and the amount of power and velocity their feathers generate determine how far and fast they travel through the air.
“Just like dogs love to run, birds love to fly,” Heath said. “They want to fly as far as they can on one tank of fuel.”
Hummingbirds beat their wings 60 to 90 times per second when they fly. Birds with large wingspans such as a swan or pelican beat their wings once per second after they are airborne, Heath noted.
“The narrower the wing, the faster they can beat their wings,” Heath said.
Birds can do funny things, he added.
Sparrows can fly through thick bushes at 20 to 25 mph without breaking a single branch, Heath said. Canadian geese can fly 70 to 80 mph “almost indefinitely.” To avoid cold weather in central Illinois, they can fly to New Orleans in 10 hours.
“They can make better time than you can in your car,” Heath said. Hummingbirds hover easily at their maximum energy, Heath pointed out.
On the other hand, vultures do not fly unless the wind is strong enough to lift them, and condors need to run almost 50 to 80 yards before they can take flight, Heath said.
“But once they get off the ground, condors are the masters of the air,” he added.
Birds control and anticipate every aspect of flight with thousands of sensors on their bodies that prompt their brains to react reflexively to varying air and wind conditions, Heath said.
“They know everything that is happening on their wings,” he added. “That is startling.”
Also during the meeting, LBCC president George Bold said the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department dropped 20,000 4-to-5 inch channel catfish into Lake Buchanan Oct. 10. Vice President Alan Jankowski said LBCC members sponsored the Burnet Boys & Girls Club Fishing Tournament at Hamilton Creek Oct. 11.
Several youngsters participated in the tournament, including children as young as 4, Jankowski said. The LBCC gave trophies for largest, smallest and most fish caught in three age groups, he added.
“They had a great time catching fish,” Jankowski said.
Nominations for the LBCC board will be accepted during the Nov. 18 and Dec. 13 meetings, Bold said, adding the election will be held after the close of nominations during the Dec. 13 session.
The LBCC meets the third Tuesday of the month at the Lower Colorado River Authority Western Complex, 8347 RR 1431 near Texas 29, also known as “Fuzzy’s Corner.”
raymond@thepicaycune.com