From One Frigatebird to Another
June and Prius soar above the waterfront in Nuku'alofa and talk about their futures.
Author’s Note: Frigatebirds are incredible. They can fly 50,000km without stopping and they don’t even have waterproof feathers. Different species lived near the equator, including in Tonga where I saw some in Nuku’alofa, Tonga where I was running a training in August. Their silhouette in the sky was unmistakable because I had seen it before. After working with the Banaban Human Rights Defenders Network for many years, I’ve come to recognise it easily in the sky. The frigatebird is meaningful to so many around the world. My research has only scratched the surface of the wisdom they have to share.
A lot of other frigatebirds don’t know this, but the cove just past the marina starts pumping with schools of flying fish just after dawn. Plus, if I get enough to eat in the morning, I have the whole day to get organised.
This morning though, the fish weren’t jumping. I just needed to be patient.
“Don’t bother, June.” Prius cut through the air in front of me.
I was hovering with concentration against the strong breeze. They would come.
She swooped down again, looping around me. I think I heard her humming a song.
“There’s nothing jumping right now, girl. You should hang by the market if you’re hungry.”
Prius flew another casual circle around me, and I foiled against the wind to follow her. She was right. I had been at it for hours. I deserved a break. Plus, I liked Prius. Being around her felt nice. I liked hearing about her life. Even when things weren’t going well, her life always felt noteworthy, like something the humans would make a movie about.
