Into The Woods: The Flight of the Monarchs

The monarchs are wandering. Look for them gliding through the garden and over the lawn, or poking about in the weedy patches by the roadside, or dancing across a field. While it seems they are just aimlessly floating along they are actually on their southward journey. This generation of monarchs emerged in late August, and are the ones that make their way to the wintering grounds in the Sierra mountains near Mexico City. It's a long journey and not easy.

So they glide to conserve energy, using their large wing-to-body ratio to minimize flapping and get the lift they need. They also need warm thermals for this. But right when they need these the most they are harder to find without the hot summer sun. But they keep going, gathering together with others along the lakeshores, then following the shorelines, moving ever south. And always seeking that warm air to get the lift they need to keep them on their way.

The same is true of turkey vultures. All summer long these huge black birds are seen hovering over Beacon's lake, as well as in the skies throughout central and southern Ontario. Wings slightly upturned they rock gently along, never seeming to flap for hours, expert at keeping aloft with a minimum of effort. 

A bird's body is made for flight, of course. Science explains that 25% of a bird's body weight is made up of muscles for flapping their wings, while another 10% is for the muscles that fine tune their flying, adding to their ability to get lift. This fine-tuning includes not just their wing muscles but also their tails and even individual flight feathers. 

Another attribute is the type of muscle in their wings. Most birds have a type of wing muscle that facilitates rapid take-off and fast flight. But large soaring birds like turkey vultures, as well as hawks, eagles and even gulls have a different type of muscle in their wings that allows them to hold their wings in a static position for long periods of time. This serves them well in their almost constant search for food. The adult turkey vultures spend all summer raising their family. By early September the young ones have joined them in the sky. Together they will soon leave for warmer climes for the winter. The young birds have less than two months to develop some prowess in soaring so they can find their own food. And right when they need it most the warm summer sun is gone, making it harder to get the lift they need to get into the air.

The same could be true for any one of us. We all need 'lift' on the journey we are on, and sometimes it just doesn't seem to be there when we need it the most. But through the trials and experiences we learn to depend on God even more, and discover that He is ever faithful, and supplies what we need. Like the song we sing at Beacon, based on Isaiah chapter 40, "Those that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall rise up upon wings like eagles..."