Three Barn Swallows panted as if they were drawing their last breathe.  They lay in the white gravel parking lot tilted on their sides.  They spread the feathers on their flanks to expose their skin and one spread its tail. 

    I was hot and uncomfortable so I’d stopped at the 528 Bridge boat launch in Moraine State Park to wash up; there’s running water in the restroom.  I’d been hiking with the Nature Journaling group since early morning.  When we finished for the day my thermometer said 87° F.  It must have been at least ten degrees hotter on the hot stones.  

    The swallows looked like they were stricken with the heat and about to expire.  They lay in the gravel, however, on purpose.  Sun bathing is a common bird behavior, although its benefits are not clear.  Probably it helps control ectoparasites, those tiny, annoying critters that live on birds’ skin and among their feathers.  By heating the body the bird forces the mites and fleas to seek shade under its wing, or some other place where the bird can easily pluck or scratch them.  Indeed, the Barn Swallows periodically preened the feathers at the base of their wings.

     I didn’t want to disturb the birds so I waited and watched for five minutes until they took off.  The afternoon sun was on the opposite side of my truck but I still could barely tolerate the heat.   I then stopped and washed my face again.  We all do what we can to keep comfortable.