Omer 2019 Day 38: Starlings

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Omer 2019 Day 38: Tiferet in Yesod, Beauty in Connection
Starlings

Starlings are not the most beloved bird. They were brought to America from Europe in the 1890s and now they are everywhere. This invasive species can crowd out native birds, and has been known to damage crops.

But we're going to overlook that today, because when they swarm together they create these incredible shapes that are beautiful to watch. Maybe you've seen a small group of them, or maybe you've seen a "murmuration" of thousands, but if you've ever see a flock of starlings swarm together around dusk, there's a good chance your gaze lingered for an extra moment.

They are not just dancing for our enjoyment; traveling in this large group (thousands of birds) provides the whole flock protection from predators, as they are all on alert for danger and twist and turn unpredictably.  Starlings are highly gregarious birds and there are several populations of them in the MD/DC/VA area that Halli has seen. They fly together with such close connection that when one bird changes direction for whatever reason, the birds next to it emulate its movements almost simultaneously, causing the entire group to move together and often looking like a single, massive, cloud-like organism in the sky. It's a beautiful and impressive sight to behold, and perfectly fits tonight's sephirot of beauty in connection.

This year's animal Omer is a collaboration between myself and my friend Halli, a PhD in animal science. Thank you for counting the Omer with us!