Miracle. All of it.

~ Live & Learn

The frigatebird is dark and stealthy, with a hooked beak and a deeply forked tail. It belongs to the family of seabirds found in tropical and subtropical oceans. Their wings can span up to eight feet. They cannot dive beneath water or even rest on its surface since their feathers will absorb moisture and they will drown. They are known to swoop beneath cumulus clouds where the rising currents of warm air pull them into the heart of the vapor. In the currents they simply open their wings as if in the tube of a sky vacuum, a thunderous swirl of air. As they ascend they sometimes sleep. They are hauled upwards, thousands of feet, like hollow-boned gods through the narrowing gyre. High in the air they finally break from the current and flap out of the envelope of cloud. For a moment the buffer shakes them, but then the turbulence ends. In the still air they can glide horizontally downwards for up to forty miles without even flapping, finishing often with an annihilating drop. While still in flight, they stay alive by robbing other seabirds for food, or skimming the ocean surface for fish and squid, snatching their prey from the water with their long razor-sharp bills.

A frigatebird can stay aloft for two whole months without touching down on either land or water…

~ Colum McCann, Apeirogon: A Novel (Random House, February 25, 2020)

 

Photo: Sian Ka’an

30 thoughts on “Miracle. All of it.”

  1. OMG – God’s creation is wonderful and perfect. I felt sorry for the poor bird, reading that he’d drown if wet. Then I felt immensely grateful for that ‘product of perfection and tremendous beauty’…. A brilliant start to this Tuesday (already nearly half time for lunch here but never mind!). Thanks for sharing.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  3. This passage made my heart soar. “…like hollow-boned gods through the narrowing gyre.” Wow! Amazing, too, that these birds can stay aloft for two months. Our world is full of wonders….

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  7. This is both a case for bird-envy AND for bird-pity.. Not sure which/if one wins, but the name always cracks me up — and kindly toggled ocean thoughts bring smells and sounds and home. TY. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  8. As we say our formal good-byes to my mother today, I shall hold the frigate bird’s ability to soar “…like hollow-boned gods through the narrowing gyre.” in my mind as I imagine my mother soaring through eternity.

    Thank you for that beautiful image this morning.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Leave a Reply