RISE

I watch them RISE. And dive.

They flow left. They swing right.

Wow. What a sight!

In the midst of a cold, gray Winter day.

A DANCE.

There is beauty. Choreography in nature.

They swoop down.

Twist.

And go UP again.

They RISE together.

A landing perfected in a field.

And when it’s time.

Once again, they RISE!

I was inspired to write this after watching something I’ve seen several times before, but never really WATCHED at length. I was looking out of my office window, in the midst of a case of “writer’s block”, when I saw a huge flock of birds flying across the street from me in seemingly perfect unison. They were not only flying together. It looked as though they were performing a well-choreographed dance. It was like watching an aerial ballet. It was beautiful. I wrote a poem. And then I looked into what made birds do this.

Come to find out, the aerial show I witnessed, is called a murmuration and starlings are most likely the performers. Need an image or a video to understand better? You can find them all over the internet. In fact, you can find them on Wonderopolis.org. You can also find a video of this on AL.com. The photographer who shot that video, Bob Gathany, explains it this way. “It’s called a murmuration - the bird dance, with tens of thousands of…blackbirds flying in mass but seemingly with one mind. Watching it can be mesmerizing - it’s a twisting, swirling, morphing, shape-shifting living cloud.” Michael Steinberg, a professor at the University of Alabama’s New College says groups of birds often fly this way in Winter when they’re not using energy for breeding and producing and raising young birds. He says they likely do this because there is power in numbers and, “the crazy, swirling effort by thousands at dusk is likely a way to confuse any nearby predators.” He says it’s possible the birds may also flock this way as a way to find food.

A writer for bigthink.com, Tom Langen, also looked into the natural phenomenon and found that as many as 750,000 birds can join a murmuration and can move up to 50 miles per hour! This special type of flock is named murmuration for the sound of a low murmur it makes from thousands of wingbeats and soft flight calls. Langen found out that a murmuration is a visual invitation to attract other starlings to join a night roost. Scientists have a theory he says that spending the night together keeps the starlings warmer as they share body heat. Plus, the bigger the group, the more eyes and ears to detect a predator. What might be the most fascinating thing Lagen found is that scientists don’t believe these giant flocks of birds have a leader or a plan! He says scientists believe movements are simply coordinated by observing what others around them are doing. And somehow without a leader or a plan the birds form what Langen describes as swirling blobs, teardrops, figure eights, columns and other incredible shapes. Again, all this happens without a leader or a plan. That’s amazing to me. Nature in one of it’s finest moments. No leader. No plan. It can not only provide a spectacular show, but a lesson. At least for me, anyway. I was amazed, entertained, inspired to write and encouraged to learn. I am even left with deeper questions that could inspire and educate me (or you) further!

Wouldn’t it be nice if we humans took a cue from this seemingly magical moment in nature? Could we cooperate and coexist in more of a murmuration? Are we moving in unison with others like we should? Are we traveling in the right direction; the direction best for us AND the group? Are we soaring with our family members, friends, neighbors, co-workers and even strangers toward the same goals? Do we invite others to safer, warmer places? Or do we leave others out only to get swooped up by the enemy? I think it’s possible sometimes to move in rhythm and arrive at the right place without a leader or a plan. And we all know it’s possible to glide through life peacefully, side by side with the ones we like and live, stopping to rest and eat. How can we join the dance where there is very little conflict and only calm coordination? There is a lot to think about after seeing such a performance in the sky. In a murmuration they DO fall. But, they don’t crash when they land. And eventually with the help of others around them….they RISE!

- Natalie Holzer