cool thing I'd never seen before

[ron20m]

One evening in mid April, most of the birds were already in housing but a group of about 30 were out and stayed out till it was so dark I could barely make them out. They were flying back and forth in an elliptical pattern probably about 50 yards by 20 yards very close to their housing and 30-50 feet or so above it. I assumed it was a swarm of some type of insect and they were feeding while feeding was good. It was shockingly dark by the time they quit. I'd never seen this late of a bedtime before and i'd never seen a repeated group elliptical formation before.

[-=DKC=-]

One evening in mid April, most of the birds were already in housing but a group of about 30 were out and stayed out till it was so dark I could barely make them out. They were flying back and forth in an elliptical pattern probably about 50 yards by 20 yards very close to their housing and 30-50 feet or so above it. I assumed it was a swarm of some type of insect and they were feeding while feeding was good. It was shockingly dark by the time they quit. I'd never seen this late of a bedtime before and i'd never seen a repeated group elliptical formation before.

My birds did something very similar this Spring when they knew there were hawks in the neighborhood.

I've also seen them hunt insects after sunset but not in a tight group.