Starling Murmurations
From around Late November and early December is when we can all start of seeing probably nature’s greatest air show, the starling murmurations.

what are the murmurations?
Each evening, just before it goes dark the starlings take to the skies and create a spectacular air show as they all fly together. Creating huge shapes and patterns as they soar, swoop and pass each other mid-air.

The starlings start in small numbers and may not even be noticed for the first few nights, but as more arrive the displays get more spectacular and noisier.

Bird watchers and scientists that study the murmurations have recorded gatherings of over 100,000 birds.

Where can you see them?
At night they mainly roost sheltered areas from the harsh weather and predators, such as woodlands, but reed beds, cliffs, buildings and industrial structures are also used. During the day they form daytime roosts in exposed places such as treetops, where the birds have good all-round visibility.

Why do they fly like that?
No one is really sure why the starlings form murmurations, the are a few theories.
Such as:
- Roosting together to create safety in numbers.
- Gathering together to keep warn.
- Information sharing of good feeding grounds etc.

More about starlings:
Starlings have glossy black feathers that can shine blue and green in the sunlight. Juveniles are greyish brown. During the cooler months they are also covered in small white spots. They weigh around 80g.
Their diet consists of insects and fruit.

Starlings are native to the UK.
Some are migratory that travel from northern Europe to spend the winter here. They start arriving in September and start to return home in February.

Despite being common throughout the UK, the starling population has declined dramatically since the 1980s.
They are therefore a Red List bird of high conservation concern.