Excellence among birds

Of all the birds, which are the best?

Vultures, Heracles said, because they don’t harm even the smallest living thing.

The hero’s remark came to mind when we got off the trail to let two serious hikers go by. They were young and fit. They had hiking poles and good boots. They remarked that the woods were quiet: little wildlife other than squirrels, and few birds.

They hadn’t seen the best of all birds circling overhead, just above the canopy.

If you are older, you are slower. But you sometimes see things that those who go faster miss.