Then Pause

The starlings are gathering now in monumental flocks that can darken the sky. Sometimes their storms of flight look like the crown of a great tree shaking in the wind. They "matter" their migration in a fierce way: sheer numbers confound and even frighten the young falcons that hold back as the black force threatens like a wildfire driven down a wind-crazed canyon. Other animals (like myself & my dogs) stand beneath the magnificent, medusa form,  mouths open and in utter silence.