If birds left tracks in the sky, they'd look like this

January 2, 2018 2:36 PM

If birds left tracks in the sky, they'd look like this. Stunning composite photos showing birds' and flocks' paths through the skies by photographer Xavi Bou, in the National Geographic.
posted by metaBugs (20 comments total)

see also Dennis Hlynsky's Micromigrations: "To reveal the hidden movement patterns of birds and insects, Dennis Hlynsky transforms ordinary footage into beautiful illustrations by digitally tracing the paths they travel"
posted by dhruva at 3:02 PM on January 2, 2018 [3 favorites]

Looks like Attack Of The Zipper People.
posted by Brockles at 3:03 PM on January 2, 2018

That murmuration of starlings is great.
posted by ActingTheGoat at 3:18 PM on January 2, 2018 [4 favorites]

see also Talk Like a Firefly; fireflies have unique flight and flash patterns that can be used to identify the species you are observing.
posted by peeedro at 3:18 PM on January 2, 2018 [1 favorite]

Man, that seagull picture looks like a Giger storyboard for the Upside-Down.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 3:24 PM on January 2, 2018 [1 favorite]

Rods!
posted by Thorzdad at 4:19 PM on January 2, 2018 [6 favorites]

These give me the serious heebie jeebies
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 4:44 PM on January 2, 2018 [5 favorites]

In other words, it would be awesome.
posted by bongo_x at 4:44 PM on January 2, 2018

Move over, chemtrails.
posted by uosuaq at 4:59 PM on January 2, 2018

Spines!
posted by boo_radley at 5:05 PM on January 2, 2018

So cool, and also very beautiful!
posted by mixedmetaphors at 5:48 PM on January 2, 2018

Beautiful, heart-stoppingly beautiful! Thank you for posting Bou's work here, would've otherwise missed this facet of nature's resplendence.
posted by riverlife at 5:51 PM on January 2, 2018 [3 favorites]

There have to be slow vision creatures that see like this. I love starlings! Their starlingepathy flight patterns are amazing.
posted by Oyéah at 6:49 PM on January 2, 2018 [1 favorite]

Birds are really just the f'ing best.
posted by VioletU at 7:30 PM on January 2, 2018 [1 favorite]

That is so amazing; my heart is singing. Thank you!
posted by lazuli at 8:04 PM on January 2, 2018 [2 favorites]

Oh neat! I remember seeing this in high school. Then I went back to pretending to be a crayon and coloring within the lines on my drive home. Ah, the joys of adolescent acid trips!
posted by Nanukthedog at 8:22 PM on January 2, 2018 [3 favorites]

Great idea executed really well.
posted by bz at 9:08 PM on January 2, 2018 [1 favorite]

Thank you.
I hope 2018 brings more wonders like this.
posted by BlueHorse at 10:42 AM on January 3, 2018

In his last book, River of Consciousness, Oliver Sacks described cases where people's brains malfunctioned (due to complex migraines or other conditions) and they perceive their visual world as a series of freeze frames that bleed into each other. I wonder if one such patient were to look up at a bird in flight would they see something akin to this.
posted by Pantalaimon at 3:12 PM on January 3, 2018

If birds left tracks in the sky, Alex Jones would be ranting about how they are releasing CIA developed chemical inhalants that turn you into a gay Antifa.
posted by Saxon Kane at 6:56 PM on January 3, 2018 [1 favorite]