Look Up, But Look Out - It's Contagious!
By Steve Anderson
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The birds are Broad-wings, all right. They are coming from different directions, sailing at a descending angle, with their wings slightly tucked and their tails folded. Scattered groups of them converge, and as each bird reaches some seemingly magical central point, it spreads its wings and fans open its tail. Then up it goes, mixing and mingling with its fellow travelers. They form a "boiling swarm", hence the term kettle. Together they swirl and rise until they reach an invisible ceiling in the air. Then, breaking out of the kettle, the birds return to their tucked position, stream downward and move on en masse. It's almost as if they are playing a combination of "tag" and "follow the leader", but no one ever gets caught, and there really isn't any leader. |
As each bird reaches some seemingly magical central point, it spreads its wings and fans open its tail. Then up it goes. |
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Your brief awe-inspired collective silence is broken: "Who's keeping the count?" "I got it. Start calling out the numbers." "Fifty-six, seven, eight... Forget that. Eighty, ninety, a hundred ten." "You counting the kettle?" "Yeah, but more are coming in from everywhere! Darn - I lost track. I'll go back to the bottom and re-count. Man, it's tough to keep up with 'em." "Hey, gimme your best guess. I'll get on 'em and double check when they peel off and start streaming." "I got one sixty-eight in that batch - four Sharpies, one Tail, and the rest Wings." "Sounds about right to me." Just then the new victim breaks in, "There's a whole 'nother wave coming through right over our heads. Good thing you brought me along, eh?" He leaves the counting to the others as a wide band of birds streams into view and then out of sight in the distance. "This is great! It's unbelievable! I love it when they're naked-eye like that!" Both his tone and mood have progressed from mildly to highly excited. "I got three hundred fifty-two in that group - seven Sharpies, an Os, and you know the rest. Anybody else?" "Three forty-four. Let's split the difference and call it three forty-eight." "Good enough. And here come some more!" |
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In that instant, there on the mountain top, you and your friends are connected by a feeling which is part chemistry, part electricity, part wonder, part awe, and part bliss. The feeling borders on rapture - it is the treatment. All of you are thinking the same thing, but no one needs to say it, "This could be a big day. This could be a really big day!" The time is 10 a.m., and for the next six hours you are kept very busy. There are only a few let ups in the action, and they don't last for long. You scarcely have a minute to catch your breath, let alone eat lunch. No matter, it'll keep. |
All of you are thinking the same thing... "This could be a really big day!" |
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