Activity
The Shape of the Wind

Using the information given, imagine that you are Soren or Gylfie and you are about to take your first flight into the thermals.

Write a poem as if you are an owl looking down on the world whilst you are mid-flight. Use these words to help you. Once you have written your poem, draw a picture of the world from an owls’-eye view.

• Solitary
• Nocturnal
• Binocular vision
• Filoplumes – hair like feathers on beak and feet like ‘feelers’
• Silent flight feathers
• Stealth and surprise
• Invisible and silent
• Sky
• Stars
• Air shapes
• Shape of the wind
• Clouds
• Owl noises – screeches
• Wing-span
• Lightening
• Wet feathers
• Flying through rain
• Gizzard test
• ‘Crabbing’ – flying sideways to get through fierce winds
• Thermals – warm drafts of air
• Rapid take off
• Straight up
• Thrust
• Power
• Flapping wing beats
• Power down-stroke
• Upstroke
• Curl of warm air
• Carving spirals and loops in the night
• Thermal updraft
• Hollow bones