Skywatching for the Birds
September 2025 :
How often have you heard a honking noise, looked up, and seen a V formation of geese over your heads? Surprisingly, other birds don’t seem to fly in such a pattern; instead, their flyovers almost appear to be in almost random patterns.
Perhaps it’s the sheer size of geese that causes them to actually need to fly in this form. And, there does appear there is a reason for this: Apparently flying in this V formation allows each bird to “boost” the others, increasing their flight range significantly. In fact, each bird creates a strong updraft off its wingtips, giving birds behind them a useful current of air. Also, you might sometimes see certain geese appear to trade places with each other, as often the leading goose might need a rest, and it lags behind, allowing a “fresher’ one to lead the pack for a while. In addition, it is said the constant honking of the gaggle could be a way to remind the slower, lazier birds that they do have to conform to the rest of the group.
Sometimes, when looking up at the sky, it pays to stop a bit, and watch Nature doing its thing so beautifully.
