Israel as a Whale

There’s always something wondrous about these photos of starlings creating a pointillist miracle. Back in the day, this used to be called a human interest photo. And, finding its way into so many news galleries last week, it’s certainly a worthy one, isn’t it? On top of that, there is the added curiosity here of the suggestible shape. Wading into that territory, though, is always tricky, though, like some see gold and some see blue, or one bird more than the other.

By the way, did I mention the newswire photo was taken over a housing development in the south of Israel? With that in the mix, the ever-present battle between the Palestinians and the Jewish state must have “shaped” what jumped out at me from this otherwise serene and pastoral scene because I saw Israel as a whale.

(Or, another way of looking at it: where’s Jonah?)

(photo: Amir Cohen/Reuters. caption: A murmuration of migrating starlings in southern Israel.)