Bird watching

~Slices of Life~

I never used to consider myself a bird watcher. But this summer I’ve had various species of birds cross my path. And while they all fly (I haven’t seen any ostriches or penguins) the manner in which they fly differs greatly from bird-type to bird-type.

Ducks are great swimmers; the same can’t be said about flying. Oh, sure, they do fly, but they work very hard at it. The effort required is great. They stick their necks out (literally) and flap their wings with rapid voracity in order to stay air-bound. Watching them fly – and expend such great energy – requires energy. When they land on the water and re-enter their element of swimming I nearly breathe a sigh of relief.

Like ducks, loons do quite a bit of swimming – and diving at depths up to 200 feet in order to secure supper (fish). They fly at speeds up to 80 miles per hour, but taking off is difficult, in part because their bones are not hollow, like most other birds.

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