Gwaihir

Middle-Earth.

On September 18, in the year 3018 of the Third Age, Gwaihir the Windlord rescues Gandalf from atop Orthanc, where he had been held prisoner for two months.

On the same day, the Black Riders cross the River Isen and enter Rohan.

On September 19th of 3018, Gandalf arrives at Edoras but is denied entrance.

When the Fellowship arrived in Lothlorien, she said that a grey mist surrounded Gandalf, so she couldn't see him from afar – That's not just because he's dead, he's actually still alive at that point.

But then Frodo does see Gandalf in the mirror, so perhaps she also looks and, well, it's my working theory on why Galadriel sent Gwaihir to find Gandalf in the first place.

So that's the first mode, intentional seeing things from afar.

We don't know the extents of this, but it's clearly very powerful.

Yes, said Gandalf.

That was Gwaihir, the windlord, who rescued me from Orthanc.

I sent him before me to watch the river and gather tidings.

His sight is keen, but he cannot see all that passes under hill and tree.

There I lay staring upward, while the stars wheeled over, and each day was as long as live age of the earth.

Faint to my ears came the gathered rumour of all lands, the springing and the dying, the song and the weeping, and the slow everlasting groan of overburdened stone.

And so, at the last, Gwaihir the Windlord found me again, and he took me up and bore me away.

Ever am I fated to be a burden, friend and need, I said.

When Gandalf returns as Gandalf the White, he doesn't just reappear in Fangorn Forest.

He starts up on the mountain top, then is taken by Gwaihir the Great Eagle to Galadriel, and only then goes to Fangorn to meet Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas.

And he brought with him messages for the three of them from Galadriel.

This is what she had to say to Legolas.

Yeah.

Yet the moment Gandalf secures his extraction via Gwaihir the Eagle, there is zero hesitation.

He snaps right back into action.

He immediately transitions into a hyper-accelerated phase of logistical triage.

Because Gwaihir's flight capacity is limited, right?

Exactly.

Meaning Gandalf cannot be airlifted directly to the Shire.