Good morning…
It has been just over six months since her son’s sudden death, and she planned a beach getaway for a few inner circle friends, a tangible way of saying, “Thank you” for unwavering support. The women took time to soak in the sunset on their last night at the beach. Not long after settling into the sand, in silence they admired the beauty of a small flock of birds flying in V-formation just over the ocean’s tide. One friend later wrote this encouraging email recalling the shared, sacred moment of awe.
“My breath hitched as a strong sense of calm filled the stilled moment. Not being prone to feeling moments of significance, the image has stayed with me. This morning, catching up on emails, I read the blog post from Sue Allen which happens to be on the traditional symbolism of birds, our unique interactions with them, and God’s voice being present in their presence. The curiously timely nature of her message has me googling the flight of birds in V-formation.
‘It’s long been assumed that this pattern makes flight easier for the entire flock, but a 2014 study referenced in National Geographic shows “that birds in a V are actually pulling off a feat that’s more complicated and more impressive than anyone had imagined.”
‘The recordings revealed that the birds fly exactly where the theoretical simulations predicted: around a metre behind the bird in front, and another metre off to the side. Some ibises preferred to fly on the right of the V, or on the left. Some preferred the centre, and others the edges. But on the whole, the birds swapped around a lot and the flock had no constant leader.’
‘But flying in a V isn’t just about staying in the right place. It’s also about flapping at the right time. As each bird flaps its wings, the trail of upwash left by its wingtips also moves up and down. The birds behind can somehow sense this and adjust their own flapping to keep their own wings within this moving zone of free lift.’
‘It’s clear that this isn’t a skill the ibises are born with. When they first followed the microlight, they were all over the place. It took time for them to learn to fly in a V… and that adds one final surprise to the mix. “It was always assumed that V-formation flight was learned from the adult birds,” says Portugal. “But these guys are all the same age and they learned to fly from a human in a microlight. They learned [V-formation flying] from each other. It’s almost self-taught.”‘
The symbolism of the V formation…an impressive and complicated dance, learned from one another, with each individual taking the role that feels most comfortable for them at the time, making the journey more supportive and uplifting for all…is too beautiful for me not to share.
Thank you, again for the memorable weekend, and for having us in your flock.”
I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong — that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith (Romans 1:11-12, NIV).
…Sue…
