That would be a nice gesture.

The Volunteer Center has only received one request, from the Homeless Assistance Leadership Organization. Volunteers are needed for the Thanksgiving meal at the shelter, 2000 DeKoven Ave.

Several area churches also offer free dinners that day, and you could check to see if they need additional help. First Church of God, 1650 Lathrop Ave., and St. John the Divine Episcopal Church, 216 E. Chandler Blvd. in Burlington, were listed in a recent Journal Times roundup of Thanksgiving meals for the needy.

At HALO, people are needed to serve dinner and clean up, as well as to do craft projects with children. Shifts begin at 3 p.m. Thursday, and those younger than 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

Sheila Hill is listed as the contact. You can reach her at 633-3235, extension 142.

Why do some birds sit on the same phone wire, facing the same direction on a regular basis? We've noticed one area in particular on the south side of Spring Street, east of Airline Road, where the birds always sit facing the street.

This sounded a little too Hitchcock for comfort, so I made a point to watch that area the last couple of times I drove past. Sure enough, they're in lockstep.

Noel Cutright, a board member with the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology, had a few guesses to explain why they're pointed the same way.

"For the most part, birds are going to try to face into the wind," he said.

A second possibility is they feel safer facing the noisy road than turning away from it. Lastly there's that familiar line about birds of a feather …

"When one makes a turn, they all make a turn," Cutright said.

Just like politicians. In this season of mavericks, couldn't one of you avians buck the party line and face the other way?

As to why they choose to sit there rather than down the road, Cutright said birds gravitate toward places close to food sources and with easy access to cover in case a predator swoops in.

Who paid for someone from the Racine Zoo to go on a research trip to the Caribbean?

If I were headed to those climes, it wouldn't be to watch snakes and frogs. Luckily that's up someone else's alley.

The Zoological Society of Milwaukee, one of the nonprofits that supports the Milwaukee County Zoo, paid for Billie Harrison and another researcher to participate in an ongoing herpetology (reptile) project in Grenada. They also spoke at a symposium in Aruba in August.

Harrison, who is an animal care specialist at the Racine Zoo, didn't start working here until after the trip. She wrote a little about the experience in an e-mail to me.

"As far as the frogs go, my favorite thing is stepping off of the plane and hearing them fill the island with whistling," Harrison wrote. "I must say, though, we have so many amazing herps here in Wisconsin, and there is just nothing more charming than our little garter snakes."

McDonald House pop tabs

A recent question confirmed the Ronald McDonald House does collect pop tabs, like the ones from soda cans, as a fundraiser. If you don't want to start your own collection box, here are two of the local sites that collect the tabs and turn them in to the charity:

n Johnson Elementary School, 2420 Kentucky St.

n Coldwell Banker Real Estate, 3417 Douglas Ave.

Mike Moore compiles the Glad You Asked column, which seeks answers to questions of local interest. Call us at (262) 631-1758 or e-mail:

ask@journaltimes.com