If you think that the great sights and sounds of nature are only to be found in Africa or the Arctic or at least somewhere far away, then go to Maxey Pits at about 3.30pm over Christmas and watch and listen to the amazing phenomenon that is a winter starling flock.
There were over 5,000 birds in the flock on Sunday 14th December, wheeling backwards and forwards over the main pit, north of the Cut in constantly changing directions and shapes. They wheel to and fro, sometimes in long extended formation, at others bunching up into dense, black blobs of hundreds of birds.
Today they were also joined by two hunting sparrowhawk. To begin with they were patrolling the sky, waiting to pick off a straggling starling, but never daring to enter the dense pack of birds. But as dusk fell they sat in trees waiting for the starlings to dive into the reed bed where they roost for the night and shooting out to attack just as the starlings near the ground.
Not only an amazing sight, even on a drab day, but also quite a noise, both from the rush of wings of thousands of birds flying in unison and from the squeaks and twitters of the birds as they keep contact with each other - hence the collective noun for starlings - a murmuration!
There were over 5,000 birds in the flock on Sunday 14th December, wheeling backwards and forwards over the main pit, north of the Cut in constantly changing directions and shapes. They wheel to and fro, sometimes in long extended formation, at others bunching up into dense, black blobs of hundreds of birds.
Today they were also joined by two hunting sparrowhawk. To begin with they were patrolling the sky, waiting to pick off a straggling starling, but never daring to enter the dense pack of birds. But as dusk fell they sat in trees waiting for the starlings to dive into the reed bed where they roost for the night and shooting out to attack just as the starlings near the ground.
Not only an amazing sight, even on a drab day, but also quite a noise, both from the rush of wings of thousands of birds flying in unison and from the squeaks and twitters of the birds as they keep contact with each other - hence the collective noun for starlings - a murmuration!
[Photo courtesy of Malcolm Holley]
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