Ever Wonder What It's Like to be a Bird?

I'm out walking the dog. This buzzard is floating overhead. Wings spread wide. Just riding the air currents. Doesn't even have to flap it's wings. Soaring.

This evening, as the sun sets, the flocks of Canadian geese will return to the lake by the house, spreading goose pate throughout the neighborhood as they come. They're always fascinating to watch as they land on the water though. Sort of a controlled fall. Yet graceful in it's own way. Always reminds me of those old World War II air force movies. Bombers returning from a mission over Germany.

But, I also noticed these little sparrows or finches flitting around. They have to go like crazy to get any lift. There is no soaring. And these little guys have NO glide ratio. When they pause in their pumping, man do they drop! Like falling off a cliff. What must that feel like? Of course, they've been doing that all their flying lives.

I'm sure it's adaptive. The vulture and the hawk hangs up high, keen vision looking for prey. The geese don't like to plop into the pond like bags of wet cement. The smaller birds need the speed to avoid being prey themselves.