Murmurations

Wednesday, April 20, 2022

There are some sights that inspire such awe they instantly quiet the mind. A murmuration of birds does that. You may not know the word but you know the sight. It’s when a group of at least 500 birds fly in unison,* swooping over the sky in dips and turns, flying one way and then suddenly reversing and flying another. It’s also called the sky dance of the starlings. You’ll see why when you click on this link.
 
Mesmerizing murmuration of blackbirds caught on camera - YouTube
 
I once got mixed up in a murmuration. As I drove down a road a massive flock of birds swooped in from the left, momentarily enveloping my car as they swept through. As they arced back up high I had the strangest sense of having joined them, feeling I had only to turn my wheel to the right and would lift off the ground and fly.
 
Murmuration is sometimes called group soul. For a moment I knew what that felt like. I think it’s the same feeling we get when we watch something great, like a video of someone surfing giant waves with a soundtrack of soul-inspiring music soaring in the background, pulling us in to our commonality of heart, no borders.
 
To taking flight,
 
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*500 birds is what it minimally takes to be considered a true murmuration with the largest count to date tallying up at a million. How they are counted is another awe-inspiring wonder.