Things are getting amusing at many of our local intersections. We're about halfway through our annual Miller moth migration (big dusty moths that are harmless but annoying) and the birds are on a feeding frenzy. This is especially noticable around busy traffic intersections. This morning while stopped at an intersection, I watched about 30 small birds (sparrows or swallows, I don't know which) diving and twisting in an aerobatic display that would make any airshow pilot jealous. It was an amazing performance and the birds twisted and dove between cars - both moving and stationary - without a single bird being crunched. It almost makes me enjoy waiting for a green light (but not quite).

The current edition of AOPA Pilot has an article about a scientist who is studying bird flight. He uses specially trained birds wired to monitor their vital signs and oxygen consumption in wind tunnels. He says birds have some amazing abilities, such as being able to pull over 14 gs hundreds of times a day. Some birds have roll rates of up to 5000 degrees per second. By comparison, the fastest roll rate for any aircraft that I've ever heard is the T-38's 720 degrees per second.