For many of us the beginning of a new year is a time of envisioning where we would like to go and making plans of how we will get there in the new year. In my search for a map to guide me through the uncharted territory of my life I have decided to look to migrating birds for help. If you know anything about bird migration it is impossible not to be in awe of these magnificent creatures.
Focused on a common goal twice a year they embark on incredible journeys….and it’s not like they are making simple short trips… some birds migrate as much as 11,000 miles one way! They are not playing it safe either… some birds fly higher then Mt. Everest. Migrating birds encounter incredible obstacles including storms, blinding winds and many terrible man made disturbances.
First of all there is timing. How do birds know when to migrate? Even though scientists have been studying winged migration intensely much still remains a mystery. It is believed that birds know it is time to migrate by the changes in the light of day and night.
How do birds know where they are going? MapQuest? A GPS? I don’t think so… something deeper is going on, something truly magical and mysterious… Some of the ways birds can steer without a map is by tuning into nature and their internal compass…. They use their sense of smell, they watch the Sun, Moon and stars… they learn the wind pattern. Another helpful tool is that birds are believed to have tiny grains of a mineral in their heads which enable them to monitor the earth’s magnetic field.
I always love watching bird formation and this formation serves a multipurpose, by flying in formation birds can conserve 10%-20% of the energy they would need if flying alone. Also by flying with their neighbors they are less apt to become lost.
How do birds maintain their level of energy for so many thousands of miles, often without rest? Without going into detail there are a variety of ways that different species of birds fly to conserve their energy… some of the flying patterns include: Slow and steady- keep flapping, Soaring—riding the thermals, Flapping and guiding and finally Bounding.
I also would like to add that interestingly a bird’s heart is proportionately 6 times larger than the heart in a human body. ..Hmmm….
I long to be half as focused and dedicated as a migrating bird and to journey with at least a fraction of the conviction and perseverance to know that I am indeed going in the right direction. 
This is what we can learn from these majestic and wise beings as we strive toward our destination:
Using all of our senses and knowing when the timing is right to embark on the journey, paying incredible attention to even the smallest detail around us so that we do not steer off course, watching our patterns so that we can either repeat or change them, using the wisdom we have gained to feel the magnetic pull toward our success, developing supportive friends to help us soar and bring us back if we lose our way, learning our energy patterns so that we can have enough stamina for the long haul, continuing on and knowing we will get there even if there are obstacles and connecting deeply with our hearts and letting them guide us.
My wish is that we can all soar and embody at least a little bit of the stamina and focus of a migrating bird!!! May you reach your destination in this new year of 2012!
Ericasodos's Blog 