Who decides whether to turn left or right? Or form a giant sphere, or a jumping line in the sky? Who sends the message that it's time to dive back into the reeds for the night? And how is it transmitted to 100 thousand birds in an instant? Maybe well never have all the answers and that's alright with me because
they're all colossally stupid questions to ask of birds. Talk about anthropomorphism, Jeeze, none of that is happening, each bird thinks only of its immediate self its immediate impulse. Impulses motivated by various immediate bird-related concerns.
I saw this, picture it: me standing there in line, shined black shoes, black socks, dark blue pants neatly pressed, light blue short-sleeve shirt, at parade rest we had been marched from inside to outside and were waiting for something technical to commence. Someone to talk to us about what to expect upon entering the hangar, where we were to go inside, where to proceed orderly and reassemble and I was completely mesmerized by the birds doing this in the distant background, and I wasn't the only one interested either. They were swarming and swooping around a couple tall chimney stacks, very unusual things sticking up, and over time by several such passes we noticed the swarm become smaller. This happened in summer in Louisiana as light dimmed so probably rather late.
And it was a spectical specticle spectickle quite a sight too that I will never forget.
5 comments:
Marvelous film footage.
Thank you AllenS.
Amazing. One of my very favorite things in nature. Thanks, Allen!
I have had the good fortune to have witnessed such things in my youth - it is a truly remarkable thing to see in person.
Who decides whether to turn left or right? Or form a giant sphere, or a jumping line in the sky? Who sends the message that it's time to dive back into the reeds for the night? And how is it transmitted to 100 thousand birds in an instant? Maybe well never have all the answers and that's alright with me because
they're all colossally stupid questions to ask of birds. Talk about anthropomorphism, Jeeze, none of that is happening, each bird thinks only of its immediate self its immediate impulse. Impulses motivated by various immediate bird-related concerns.
I saw this, picture it: me standing there in line, shined black shoes, black socks, dark blue pants neatly pressed, light blue short-sleeve shirt, at parade rest we had been marched from inside to outside and were waiting for something technical to commence. Someone to talk to us about what to expect upon entering the hangar, where we were to go inside, where to proceed orderly and reassemble and I was completely mesmerized by the birds doing this in the distant background, and I wasn't the only one interested either. They were swarming and swooping around a couple tall chimney stacks, very unusual things sticking up, and over time by several such passes we noticed the swarm become smaller. This happened in summer in Louisiana as light dimmed so probably rather late.
And it was a spectical specticle spectickle quite a sight too that I will never forget.
...And I walk home thinking, "How wonderful is that?!
Both question and exclamation!
Also provides new mental footage for "one fell swoop".
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