I saw a flock of birds the other day
on the beach when i was walking
birds drifting to and fro
like a cloud
i know so little about them, those birds
i know i envy them their wings
their freedom to fly
they fascinate me, they always catch me eye
i know so little what they do
when they flock together – almost like one “thing”
aligned but still free to go their own ways
i can relate to that
as something like
community
“but birdies” i say
“who gives you direction
who is the boss
what calls you together
what makes you then depart?”
And then they do depart
as one
maybe to another beach
they leave me wondering
marveling about their ways
their kind
their flock
their collective soul
but one thing i know:
eagles dont flock
obviously there are some differences in birdyland ; )
Anyway … when i came home i sat myself down at my keyboard
with my code
tried my best to emulate their flight
to simulate their flock
clumsily i guess
exploring their flocking behavior
comment 1:
there is an economic reason for eagles not to flock – they require so-and-so much square kilometers of territory in order to not starve.
comment 2:
I have been told by a biologist, that in such as-one-mind flocks of birds or schools of fish, it is 14% who rule. If smaller sub-flocks divert, they come back to the “mathematical center” very soon. If it is 14% or more that take a turn somewhere, the rest follows suit. So I conclude: the proverbial 100th monkey was the individual, that made the 14% full.