Birds special flies high

My wife Mary, Pope John Paul II, God the Father and Sir David Attenborough got together recently to suggest I write this column.

Well, sort of.

Attenborough is the British naturalist whose documentaries on nature, such as "The Living Planet," have appeared for years on PBS. Premiering on July 20 and running for 10 episodes is his latest: "The Life of Birds," covering everything from the nests of nuthatches to the birds-and-bees of birds.

I arranged to get a copy of two episodes -- one on how birds sing and the other on their mating habits -- because Pope John Paul asked me to.

Well, sort of.

Creator God

Television has always done very well with nature documentaries. From under the sea to up in the sky, TV specials about animals and plants capture the beauty of God's handiwork through spectacular camerawork that speeds up the budding of flowers or slows down the flutter of wings.

What's more, these documentaries get better every year because photographic technology improves. The invention of small cameras that captured "The Life of Birds" without their knowing it, for example, permits us to see things humans have missed for millions of years. And improvements in film and videotape allow for ever more brilliant scenes.

God's love

Most of us go through life ignoring birds. When they fly overhead, we hardly notice. They cheep good morning, and we don't hear a thing. These 10 segments -- covering the evolution of birds, how they fly, what they eat, and how they live up in the trees and down on the shores -- tell us to pay attention because we're missing some of the Creator's best work.

Attention-getter

"Look at that," she would say, and "Can you believe this?"

When the shows ended, she told me, "If you had told me to watch two hours about birds, I would have said you were crazy."

"So why did you?" I asked. "It'll make a great ending for my column."

"Because it's fascinating," she replied. "Who knew all that about birds? It must have taken forever for them to film this."

Actually, it took three years, 48 camerapeople, $12 million, 70 trips to 42 countries on all seven continents and 200 miles of film.

But who's counting?

Mary's right: The bottom line is that it's fascinating.

Thanks, God, for creating things that chirp and lay eggs and spread color across the sky. Next time, I'll pay attention.

(07-15-99) [[In-content Ad]]