[RightWhale]

Been watching birds in the yard lately. Some of them are not graceful at all. Most plan their moves but some just jump. Saw a gray jay fall on his beak when he started to take off from the porch and stopped short at the edge. The small birds don't fly so much as jump and grab. They'll end up hanging from a branch upside down very often. They probably learned to fly by climbing trees and jumping, which the squirrels do now whether they have airfoil or not.

[Tokra]

Been watching birds in the yard lately. Some of them are not graceful at all. Most plan their moves but some just jump. Saw a gray jay fall on his beak when he started to take off from the porch and stopped short at the edge. The small birds don't fly so much as jump and grab. They'll end up hanging from a branch upside down very often. They probably learned to fly by climbing trees and jumping, which the squirrels do now whether they have airfoil or not.

You are correct - if you watch birds you will notice they do a lot of jumps and hops rather than full fledged flight, unless they are travelling a long distance. Or unless they are dive bombing Mr. Jinks, my cat.