Blackpool, Lancashire, UK 28th November, 2017. UK Weather. Spectacular Starling flocks mumurate at sunset as thousands of starlings gather at the onset of a cold northerly winds on the west coast. Regulated by in inbuilt light meter these flocks assemble, at sunset, from far and wide to john a communal roost under the North Pier. The murmur or chatter, the interaction between the huge numbers as they fly, is quite intense and is thought to form part of a communication of sorts. Credit. MediaWorldImages/AlamyLiveNews


The onset of winter triggers these mumurations as huge flocks of gregarious birds congregate to find communal roosts. The murmur or chatter, the interaction and communication between birds as they fly, is quite intense. These displays are the largest seen in the last for 12 years and are attracting large numbers of birdwatchers to the area. Grouping together offers safety in numbers – predators such as peregrine falcons find it hard to target one bird in the middle of a hypnotising flock of thousands.


Size: 3350px × 2233px
Location: Blackpool, United Kingdom
Photo credit: © MediaWorldImages / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No

Keywords: bird, birds, birdwatching, blackpool, coast, coastal, declining, display, displaying, dusk, endangered, evening, flight, flock, flocks, flying, gb, lancashire, list, murmuration, north, numbers, ornithology, overnight, pier, protection, red, risk, roost, roosting, roosts, royal, rspb, seaside, silhouette, silhouetted, society, species, starling, starlings, sundown, sunset, sunsets, threatened, twilight, uk, urban, weather, west, winter