I was out taking some photos with my new LCD Camera in the countryside yesterday and I was watching the birds on the branches of the trees and for some unknown reason I started to wonder if birds ever sleep and why they do not fall off the branches when they do.
When humans want to sleep all we do is get in between our white bedding and stay there for 8 hours or so, easy isn't it? We associate birds with nests so it seems logical that a bird will go into a nest every night and do the same. The truth could not be further away.
Today I have been searching for an answer. I have decided that it is not much of a life being a little bird. It is very risky for them to go to sleep and lose concentration as there are predators ready to eat them both during the day and at night so they have to stay as alert as possible at all times.
Most do, however, normally try to get some sleep. Most garden birds find a nice secluded hedgerow for cover when it is dark but they do it in some unusual circumstances though. It is not uncommon for them to sleep standing on one leg or with their head tucked into their breast and swift are believed to sleep while still on the wing. When birds do sleep they tend to cat nap so only do it for perhaps 1 or 2 hours at a time.
Now I have a good goal set. I want to take pictures of birds sleeping. It may mean that I have to be out at nighttime with my infra red camera but it will be worth it.