Spring is a great time for watching the birds – especially
the young ones.
Ready or not, they've been cajoled, encouraged and/or nagged
by their parent to leave the nest ... test their wings ... forage for food ...
navigate through sky, grass and tree.
Some of the young seem to move from dependence to independence with
great confidence while others seem unsure of themselves.
This past weekend, as I traveled the freeway, I saw a large
crow flying in swooping circular patterns. Following closely was a much smaller
crow – MUCH smaller. The birds were not very high in the sky and that circular
flight pattern was tightly restricted. At times, it seemed as if the smaller
bird was going to crash right into the big one! Other times, I'd see the little
one lose altitude, drop several feet and appear to falter. Those tiny wings
were constantly in motion – unlike the larger wings of the parent bird as he
(or she) glided and turned. There were even moments when the flapping of that young
bird's wings seemed almost frantic as he (or she) tried to catch up and stay
close to the larger bird.
