As we prepare to move from 2021 into 2022, here are a few images of the amazing aerial dances of the starlings above the Somerset Levels - an extensive marsh-land in southwest England. These great whirling swarms of thousands of birds form above the reed beds at dawn, when they rise up and disperse, and are seen again at dusk when they return to coalesce and make these magical murmurations.
My friends know that I am a big fan of starlings and welcome them into my garden. They are very social, great mimics and they typically arrive as a noisy gang of highly coordinated individuals making a wide variety of whistles and other calls. This tremendous coordination is nowhere better seen than in the great flocks that form in the winter in the UK, including individuals that come here from colder countries to over-winter.
When I was growing up, starlings were common. Probably one of our commonest birds but their numbers have declined markedly across much of the UK and elsewhere in northern Europe and, sadly, they are now on the UK red list as a bird of high conservation concern.
This makes these great gatherings all the more remarkable and on the evening that I went to see them at the RSPB reserve at Ham Wall, dozens of people all showed up to watch It's better than a firework display and there was a tremendous sense of amazement and enjoyment!
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As the light dwindles, smaller groups of starlings gather on trees, shrubs and telephone poles and wires, then they head in their flocks towards the roosting site. Once there they form these great weaving flocks of hundreds of individuals that dance across the skies. Finally, they fly low into the reed beds where they will spend the night and, in the dusk, you can just see waves of them undulating among the reed tops until they finally settle.
In the video clip you can see some larger birds off to the left and this is a flock of lapwings somehow caught up in the commotion made by their noisy dancing neighbours.
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| Starling juvenile |
