Today for the very first time, a long line of crows passed within the
viewshed of my house, flying roughly east to west. The total took 15
minutes to pass, and came in pulses of 40-50, each pulse was separated by a
pause of 10-15 seconds. The sky behind them was a dramatic contrast of blue
and fiercely white puffy clouds and they moved against the wind, flying
earnestly. As the river progressed the groups slowly drifted northward
closer to my house and the last group was almost overhead. I was curious
how long they would last so I stood and watched and waited for each pulse,
and finally, a good five minutes behind the final pulse was the last crow.
It was obvious why it was behind. While the others of its tribe were
diligent and direct in their actions this final crow was unmotivated by
accomplishment. It flew up and down, then soaring in circles, then veering
back the way it had come, looping over again and catching a particular race
of wind it bounced like a kite. This was the free spirit crow, in no hurry
to get there and to my earthbound envious eyes, clearly having a good time
dancing on the wind.

Rob Sandelin
Naturalist, Writer, Teacher
Snohomish County