This is Bird Note.

Sailor and artist Freckin Morgan circumnavigated the globe solo.

Alone on the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean, he welcomed the companionship of a swallow-tailed gull.

There was this bird that came to visit me in the morning, kind of flew around me, and then flew

off, but in the evening it came back.

And I remember coming up a number of times at night to check my bearings in the set of the

sails, and the bird was flying off of the bouts day in front of the boat like a little shadow of moonlight floating back

and forth almost all night long and this happened for a number of days in a row there's this

loneliness that happens when you're far at sea and i felt i had a companion i felt i had a friend

i tried to let it know that it was welcome,

as much as you can, when you talk to a bird at sea. I always expressed my happiness to see him,

and it was particularly comforting presence.

Reckon saw other birds on his voyage, too.

They were friends in the middle of the void.

Amazing visitors that I couldn't understand

how they managed to get 1,500 miles from the nearest piece of rock

and survive, but obviously they were more ancient mariners

than I would ever imagine being.

Whether I made those birds as happy as they made me,

I'll have no idea.

But they did make me very happy.

You can see some of Morgan's paintings of his voyage on our website, birdnote.org.

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