I just saw a gaggle of geese flying over Austin. I heard them first while out in the victory garden tilling away. I called to my daughter to come out and view the birds as they flew over, barely visible at my guess of 2000 feet. They were honking while heading north to eat bugs and get fat in Canada and Alaska I told my now present daughter and wife. To my horror, they inauspiciously wheeled a 180 into the oppoisite direction, now heading south. A few seconds later the roar of a SW 737 announced the likely motive for the birds acceleration south. The now broken V sparkled white as sun glinted off flapping wings as the airplane approached. As it did the birds began settling down and once more retruning towards the north, realizing the airplane would not hit them, even as it roared over them. Spring has arrived in the Jet Age.
The plane was just as happy to have avoided them as they were to avoid the plane. Aren't birds a very dangerous things even for jets? Very cool story. I will be looking up more often now to see if I can catch a glimpse of some birdies on their way North. I hope to see some Pterodactyl's. Wait, maybe I don't.
Checked on TexBirds, which reports interesting bird sightings around the state, and on Sunday afternoon a couple of people reported a flock of about 60 sandhill cranes flying over Austin, might be the birds you heard and saw. Spring migration has begun, and many birds will be flying north over the next 8-10 weeks.
Blue blue windows behind the stars. Yellow moon on the rise. Big birds flying across the sky Throwing shadows on our eyes. Leaves us helpless, helpless, helpless, helpless.
"Last night I heard a wild goose cry Going North in the lonely sky Tried to sleep but it weren't no use 'Cause I am a brother to the old wild goose" etc. Big hit for Frankie Laine in the 50s. I heard it just the other day. It still sounds good.
... and I saw a gaggle yesterday at 11:29 AM flying south east approximately over FM 2222/Dry Creek/Mountain Climb. Any earlier sightings October 2010?
I don't know why this happens to me, but whenever I see these flocks of geese flying overhead, it always makes me want to cry.
