Last month, I posted some images of our local starling murmuration. I popped back three times last week and was delighted to find them still there, doing their thing, only in greater numbers. Yesterday was the best yet as the sunset kindly provided a colourful backdrop.
Today, I want to share a very special experience. Last week I had the pleasure of witnessing one of nature’s great Autumn spectacles, a murmuration of starlings. During Autumn and Winter, starlings flock together at twilight, performing amazing aerial ballets that attract more birds to the group until they descend, all together in a moment, to their roost for the night.
It starts with just a small group, circling in the sky in a way that seems to attract others.
Soon many more have joined, and fantastic shapes are created as they bank and wheel about.
This was a very small murmuration, with numbers in the low hundreds. Flocks in the thousands are seen at certain key locations in Britain at this time of year. Sadly, however, starling numbers nationally have fallen by 70% in recent years and they are now counted as a threatened species. For more information, see the RSPB’s website.
I feel very privileged to have seen this waning, natural wonder.
f/11, 2″, ISO 50, 24mm, 0.6 ND Grad and 0.9 Pro Glass
I have had a wonderful week of photography, with two full days out in the field with fellow enthusiasts, Jenifer Bunnett and Tony Antoniou. Conditions were perfect, with mist and patchy sun. On both occasions I visited Boldermere, a peaceful lake incongruously nestled in the crook of the M25’s junction with the A3. Each day was rounded off perfectly with one of nature’s most spectacular Autumn displays, a murmuration of starlings. Those shots will follow in another post soon. For now, a gentle panorama of this quiet, forgotten spot.
I have been outside all week, and am consequently very behind with visiting blogs. I will try to catch up soon, before we head off on our next big adventure, Down Under!
Focused Moments 