From the Guardian 10/29/2022 – The labyrinthine patterns traced by birds on the wing – in pictures by Alice Fisher.
On a hike one day, photographer Xavier Bou, who is based in Barcelona, wondered if the flight paths of birds could be captured on paper. Through research he realised they could – and represented in a single image. Since then he’s recorded the labyrinthine patterns created by birds on the wing, a project published next month as a book called Ornithographies (Lynx Edicions). “We’re at a point in history where conservation is no longer an eccentric hobby,” says Bou. “It is a necessity. I hope Ornithographies encourages people to become aware of the birds around us… just raise your head and – who knows – maybe a beautiful formation of migrating geese will pass by.”
Beautiful photo! I clicked on the link to the full article in “The Guardian” to see more.
Birds are so graceful that it must be by design. Whether they fly alone or in a flock, they always exhibit moves that are aesthetically pleasing and perhaps mathematically meaningful.
Fractals have been observed in the flight patterns of albatrosses hunting for food, so perhaps other species exhibit the same behavior:
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/albatross-forage-fractal-flight