"Starling Obfuscation," by Robin Childers.
"The starlings rose out of the treetops as though blown into the air by a sudden gust of wind, massing into a black, kidney-shaped ball that swelled and contracted overhead. The cloud of birds circled several times, then came back twittering to the tree, as if boasting about the riotous ride. I laughed out loud, turned on the video feature of my digital camera, and waited. Sure enough, a few minutes later, the starlings again exploded into the evening sky and I tracked them with my lens, turning circles in the grass. Were any of my neighbors watching this forty-something adult spinning circles in the backyard, head tilted back, laughing maniacally?"
(Broadcast: "Fieldnotes," 10/5/14 & 10/6/14, Sundays, 12:25 p.m. and Mondays, 3:00 p.m. Or via podcast.)
