Dropping out of the sky
Delray Beach, FL, December 2010
Click all photos to enlarge
About this photo: Thematic. Transition. Here. Much fun. Really.Birds are designed to fly, with bodies that, thanks to countless generations of evolution, have been remarkably optimized for flight. So when they're efficiently cruising through the sky, everything about them is precisely as it should be: Light, streamlined, agile.
But what goes up must eventually come down, and all birds will, at some point, have to land. And when
they do, the nature of these incredible flying machines changes radically. Wings go from streamlined and tapered to draggy and curved. Legs go from tucked in to fully extended. Airplanes do the same thing as they prepare to land, with flaps extended, gear down and nose flared. But birds do it so much more purely. As they should. Because they invented it.When I watch the gulls prepare to return to terra firma, I realize how tenuous this period is. A breeze, a mean-spirited neighbor-bird, a curious child...anything can throw the bird's careful balance off at this critical aerodynamic moment. Yet somehow they always manage to recover from whatever it is that hits them, and they always manage to hit the ground in one piece (seriously, have you ever seen a bird crash-land?)
We would all be so lucky to handle transitions - flying or other - so gracefully.
Your turn: How do you handle tricky transitions?
These landing shots are spectacular. The grace, the strength, the instinctive knowledge the birds possess... hard to comprehend, delightful to see in action.
ReplyDeleteI'll be the first to admit I handle transitions a lot like a Canada goose landing on water. It ain't pretty, but it gets the job done.
Man will never be able to reproduce the control shown by birds.
ReplyDeleteCrash landings? Only ducks on ice.
what great pictures, specially the first one...birds are fascinating
ReplyDeleteI'm in the midst of one now that will last for the next 6 months (or really, 18 months). I'm handling it with a lot of prayer and support from friends -- including my very best friend, my husband.
ReplyDeleteFantastic shots! You'd love the Red Kite farm here in Mid Wales when they do the feeding :)
ReplyDeletei sooooooo don't handle transitions well at all
ReplyDeleteit's all about change and change is one thing i avoid and loath...deeplydeeplydeeply
however Life appears to have dictated that before i finally leave this life i WILL have learned how to handle all the many transitions that are to be faced. Can't believe I've got half way through my life and still behave like this...........