Pelican Lessons
I’m at the Million Dollar Club at the Ritz-Carlton in Naples, Florida (relocated after Hurricane Omar closed the Four Seasons in Nevis) We’re having a great time and being treated royally.
We work only in the mornings, so Maria and I were on the beach this afternoon, where we’ve seen turtles, dolphins, all kinds of birds, and fish. (One of our group, Guido Quelle, saw a shark.)
I watched a flight of three pelicans race by my entrenched position in single file. When the first bird changed its orientation—flapping wings, or gliding without flapping—the second and then third bird in line did the same in sequence with the discipline of an air force acrobatic team.
I don’t know if each bird sensed a change in currents a second apart, or if the bird behind simply emulated the attitude of the bird in front of it. But I do know this, having observed the maneuvers a dozen times by the time I left the beach: The third bird was always the last to change.
What order do you want to fly in?
Many racers, whether race car drivers, or cyclists, or marathoners, try to “draft” by allowing the person ahead to bear the brunt of the wind and resistance, and gain a bit of relief by cruising in their wake. That may save energy when you’re racing, but you can’t win in third place and you can’t see very well what’s up front when you’re staring at someone else’s caboose.
I’d rather be the lead bird, taking my chances with the currents and thermals, being nimble and quick, and finding the destination before those behind me.
Guess which bird saw the fish first?
© Alan Weiss 2008. All rights reserved.
