Birds in Flight, flying in the clouds flocks of Starlings at Blackpool, Lancashire, UK. Starling murmuration at sunset. One of the great birding spectacles of the winter is the starlings' pre-roost assembly. Prior to settling down for the night, flocks of these gregarious birds swoop around until there is one enormous, swirling black mass. In the winter up to a million birds, swarm, swoop, shift, swirl and twirl, moving as one while performing amazing aerial acrobatics. this ballet at dusk is a pre-roosting phenomenon known as starling murmuration.
They gather over their roosting site, and perform their wheeling stunts before they roost for the night. The starlings' pre-roost assembly, prior to settling down for the night, huge flocks of these gregarious bird’s swoop around, joining together until there is one enormous, swirling mass. Despite the incredible size of the flocks, starling numbers are just a fraction of what they used to be. Huge starling flocks used to gather over Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Belfast, but today you have a much better chance of seeing the birds in rural areas. The starling population has fallen by over 80% in recent years, meaning they are now on the critical list of UK birds most at risk. The decline is believed to be 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. Starlings are almost thrush-sized, but more upright, on strong legs, with short tails, pointed wings and sharply-pointed bills. They are also more social, forming closer, often much larger, flocks and feeding quickly in busy, squabbling groups when food is abundant. Source RSPB.
Size: 3601px × 2401px
Location: Blackpool, Lancashire, UK.
Photo credit: © MediaWorldImages / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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