Direction

I've been watching the birds lately. I like to do that in the fall. I've noticed that the geese seem to have a strong sense of purpose, community, and direction. They start flying in small flocks, in their orderly 'vee' formation, one flock joining together with another, then another, then another, until the flock is hundreds strong and can probably be seen on radar. No matter how large the formation becomes they all manage to keep pretty much together for miles upon miles. Pretty amazing instinct and direction, when you think about it... amazing order and grace.

But you get used to the geese, and their patterns become mundane. When that happens, keep an eye on the smaller birds, the ones that in the late afternoon line themselves up by the hundreds on power and phone lines. Like a small winged army they align and realign themselves, flitting from line to line, rearranging the pecking order until suddenly the whole group darts into the air, swarming like flies or confused hornets, back and forth in changing patterns. They seem to have no sense of where they are going, or who is the leader as they flit and flutter as one constantly changing cloud across the darkening sky. It is a mesmerizing vision to behold. I think maybe this is more amazing than the flocks of geese... seemingly without sense or order, this huge swarm of birds will find their way south, just as the geese do.