A spectacular murmuration of birds dazzled onlookers on Monday. A murmuration is when thousands of birds group together and swoop and dive in unison and was captured in a spectacular piece of footage shot in Tewksbury this week. Even just viewing the event via the clip on social media, shared by Eurognews Green, left some viewers stunned. Birds perform this for safety reasons, as well as for seeing warmth and exchanging information.
Ata Joseph tweeted: “Wow, what a sight to behold!”
In recent years, starling bird murmurations are becoming a rarer phenomenon in the UK as the bird’s population has fallen by more than 80 percent over the last few years, according to the UK’s Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).
This is due to “the loss of permanent pasture, increased use of farm chemicals and a shortage of food and nesting sites in many parts of the UK”, the organisation says.
The starling is a frequent garden visitor that has a striking purple-and-green sheen to its black feathers. It is renowned for its wintry aerial displays, with huge flocks often seen swooping over UK towns and farmland.
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They are usually only around 22cm in length, have a wingspan of around 40cm, and weigh just 78g. The birds normally live for 5 years on average.
Back in the day, huge starling flocks could be seen gathering over major cities, including Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Belfast. Now, you have a much better of catching a glimpse of the starling birds in rural areas.
Murmurations usually take place at dusk and early evening in the autumn and winter months in Britain.
More and more birds tend to flock together as the Autumn weeks go on, and the number of starlings in a roost can grow to around 100,000 in some places.
You don’t need any special equipment to spot them it’s all visible by just glancing at the skies.
They mostly decide to roost in places that are sheltered from harsh weather conditions and predators, like woodlands.
They can also be seen gathering round reedbeds, cliffs, buildings and even industrial structures . During the day, they form co-called daytime roosts at exposed places like treetops, where the birds have efficient all-round visibility.
According to Protect Wildlife Today’s website, the top spots for catching sight of a murmuration include:
- Cheshire, Marbury Reedbed
- Devon, Exe Reedbeds
- Essex, Thameside Nature Discovery Park
- Hampshire, Blashford Lakes and Fishlake Meadows
- Lancashire, Brockholes
- Lincolnshire, Far Ings
- Nottinghamshire, Besthorpe
- Cambridgeshire, Godmanchester
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Other locations include:
- Northamptonshire, Titchmarsh, Summer Leys and Nene Wetlands
- Northumberland, East Chevington
- Suffolk, Redgrave and Lopham Fen and Lackford Lakes
- Wales, Pembrokeshire Teifi Marshes
- Warwickshire, Brandon Marsh
Several locations in Yorkshire, such as Potteric Carr, Staveley Nature Reserve, Ripon City Wetlands are also hotspots.
Those hoping to catch a sight of a murmuration are advised to wrap up warm as it can get surprisingly chilly standing waiting by a wintery reedbed. Viewers should arrive at least half an hour before sundown, or earlier. Getting to a good vantage point where you can the roost site and the sky above is also advised.
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