Local celebrities

[johnalison]

I've lived around here for over twenty years now, but wasn't aware of the local starling flock until someone told me about it. They roost at the edge of the village and every evening a dozen or so people turn out to see the show as they murmurate, if that's the word.

We arrived as the sun was setting and soon starlings flew in from all directions. At this stage they didn't flock but formed loose associations.


They then formed a loose flock and the cloud of them swayed back and forth for ten minutes



Eventually, they started their 'dance', often forming several groups and making amazing shapes in the air.



Finally, they formed a single cloud again and did their swaying act before breaking up into smaller groups and dropping onto the trees in batches.


Although Essex can't compare with Somerset, it was an amazing spectacle, the more especially because it was totally silent, the whole thing last about half an hour. I found it totally mysterious, knowing that the birds had no intention of creating a work of art and were merely reacting the their nearest seven fellows. I suppose that the show is really some kind of mathematical expression, resulting in something of balletic wonder.

 

[Caraway]

It is amazing. It seems that murmurations from various areas sort of meet up in certain places and perform massive displays. Is it to do with migration.?Have they even migrated in recent years, what with indistinct seasons?

 

[johnalison]

It is amazing. It seems that murmurations from various areas sort of meet up in certain places and perform massive displays. Is it to do with migration.?Have they even migrated in recent years, what with indistinct seasons?

I don't really know much about it. Apparently they are expected to do it for another couple of weeks only. It has a long history locally, because my wife was talking to a woman who remembers seeing this flock from her bedroom window as a child many years ago.

 

[pvb]

Stunning!

 

[LONG_KEELER]

It's a wonderful sight isn't it .

I have noticed that the location varies a bit from year to year.

There is one of those big electricity pylons near me where they gather from all directions before taking off.
There is loads of noise and then nothing when they take off. I often drive up there to see it all.

 

[tillergirl]

Once upon a time.........

I had moved TG from the summer mooring to pick up a mooring just outside Heybridge Lock in preparation moving into the Basin on the tide the next day for lifting. At midday I rowed out to TG and the smell was rank 50m away. The previous evening the starlings had roosted on TG and a neighbouring boat in their preparation of a murmuaration. I cannot describe the smell and mess..... and pretty dangerous on account of the guano. A bucket and brush was hugely inadequate.

Please do not remind me!

 

[johnalison]

Once upon a time.........

I had moved TG from the summer mooring to pick up a mooring just outside Heybridge Lock in preparation moving into the Basin on the tide the next day for lifting. At midday I rowed out to TG and the smell was rank 50m away. The previous evening the starlings had roosted on TG and a neighbouring boat in their preparation of a murmuaration. I cannot describe the smell and mess..... and pretty dangerous on account of the guano. A bucket and brush was hugely inadequate.

Please do not remind me!

I used to despise starlings when I was young. To me they were just inferior blackbirds, far more of them and only half as black. It is relatively recently that I have learned to admire them.

 

[LONG_KEELER]

I used to despise starlings when I was young. To me they were just inferior blackbirds, far more of them and only half as black. It is relatively recently that I have learned to admire them.

And not a bad song either.

Fairly low down in the hit parade compared to the Blackbird's wonderful song though.

 

[westhinder]

Once upon a time.........

I had moved TG from the summer mooring to pick up a mooring just outside Heybridge Lock in preparation moving into the Basin on the tide the next day for lifting. At midday I rowed out to TG and the smell was rank 50m away. The previous evening the starlings had roosted on TG and a neighbouring boat in their preparation of a murmuaration. I cannot describe the smell and mess..... and pretty dangerous on account of the guano. A bucket and brush was hugely inadequate.

Please do not remind me!

I had a similar experience in Enkhuizen. They gathered in the rigging of the boats in the marina, leaving quite a mess.

 

[DavidofMersea]

I've lived around here for over twenty years now, but wasn't aware of the local starling flock until someone told me about it. They roost at the edge of the village and every evening a dozen or so people turn out to see the show as they murmurate, if that's the word.

We arrived as the sun was setting and soon starlings flew in from all directions. At this stage they didn't flock but formed loose associations.
View attachment 110225

They then formed a loose flock and the cloud of them swayed back and forth for ten minutes

View attachment 110226

Eventually, they started their 'dance', often forming several groups and making amazing shapes in the air.

View attachment 110227View attachment 110228View attachment 110229

Finally, they formed a single cloud again and did their swaying act before breaking up into smaller groups and dropping onto the trees in batches.
View attachment 110230

Although Essex can't compare with Somerset, it was an amazing spectacle, the more especially because it was totally silent, the whole thing last about half an hour. I found it totally mysterious, knowing that the birds had no intention of creating a work of art and were merely reacting the their nearest seven fellows. I suppose that the show is really some kind of mathematical expression, resulting in something of balletic wonder.

There is another bird spectical you may have missed. There are thousands of crows/rooks (I think) that roost in Layer, and in the Summer early mornings they all fly along the Blackwater to East Mersea/St Osyth, and at dusk they all fly back to Layer

 

[johnalison]

There is another bird spectical you may have missed. There are thousands of crows/rooks (I think) that roost in Layer, and in the Summer early mornings they all fly along the Blackwater to East Mersea/St Osyth, and at dusk they all fly back to Layer

If you see a rook, it’s a crow. If you see lots of crows, they’re rooks. That’s what my father told me, anyway.

 

[DavidofMersea]

If you see a rook, it’s a crow. If you see lots of crows, they’re rooks. That’s what my father told me, anyway.

Now I think of it, my next door neighbour, who is a bit of an ornithologist, called them "Rooks". There are thousands of them, mostly flying in V formation, and they take well over an hour to go past my house on Mersea beach every evening at dusk

 

[tillergirl]

I admit I enjoy the mur'ming (its too long a word for my arthritis this morning) but the only other benefit is their successful hunt for leatherjackets. Noisy, nasty birds. Ugh.

 

[Hydrozoan]

I don't really know much about it. Apparently they are expected to do it for another couple of weeks only. It has a long history locally, because my wife was talking to a woman who remembers seeing this flock from her bedroom window as a child many years ago.

Thanks for the fine photographs. On the history aspect, the nightly flocking in my birthplace in mid-Wales which has become famous did occur about 60 years ago, but as the RSPB says that starling numbers have fallen by >80% in recent years, and notes the huge flocks that used to gather in major UK cities the phenomenon must have been historically far more widespread - but did not seem to get much attention. The power of TV and other media, I suppose, but also perhaps because of increasing rarity?

 

[NealB]

I've lived around here for over twenty years now, but wasn't aware of the local starling flock until someone told me about it. They roost at the edge of the village and every evening a dozen or so people turn out to see the show as they murmurate, if that's the word.

We arrived as the sun was setting and soon starlings flew in from all directions. At this stage they didn't flock but formed loose associations.
View attachment 110225

They then formed a loose flock and the cloud of them swayed back and forth for ten minutes

View attachment 110226

Eventually, they started their 'dance', often forming several groups and making amazing shapes in the air.

View attachment 110227View attachment 110228View attachment 110229

Finally, they formed a single cloud again and did their swaying act before breaking up into smaller groups and dropping onto the trees in batches.
View attachment 110230

Although Essex can't compare with Somerset, it was an amazing spectacle, the more especially because it was totally silent, the whole thing last about half an hour. I found it totally mysterious, knowing that the birds had no intention of creating a work of art and were merely reacting the their nearest seven fellows. I suppose that the show is really some kind of mathematical expression, resulting in something of balletic wonder.

Wonderful pictures: thank you!

Over the last few weeks, I've seen huge flocks of, what I think, are Dunlins, when running out along the mouth of the Crouch.

Lovely to see, but not in the same league as your starlings for artistic/ mathematical interpretation.

 

[johnalison]

Wonderful pictures: thank you!

Over the last few weeks, I've seen huge flocks of, what I think, are Dunlins, when running out along the mouth of the Crouch.

Lovely to see, but not in the same league as your starlings for artistic/ mathematical interpretation.

Could be dunlins, but knots also form even larger flocks. I haven't been able to get to Walton lately but usually there are thousands there, as on the Colne. Any bird in a large flock is impressive, I reckon, though we get few that match starlings. I posted a photo of a couple of thousand golden plovers a while ago, but we also get large flocks of brent geese, and even two or three hundred avocets.

 

[johnalison]

It looks as if we have some way to go to catch up with the red-billed quelias of Africa, all 1.5 billion of them.

 

[NealB]

Thanks again!

I'm definitely no ornithologist: I'll look into the knot - they were certainly big flocks (he said with precision).

 

[NealB]

It looks as if we have some way to go to catch up with the red-billed quelias of Africa, all 1.5 billion of them.

Wow ..... do they ever crash?

 

[johnalison]

Thanks again!

I'm definitely no ornithologist: I'll look into the knot - they were certainly big flocks (he said with precision).

Knots and dunlin in their winter plumage are not easy to tell apart. Knots are a bit larger and look more 'angular' to me. Dunlin tend to be low-slung on the ground and are known as sea sparrows, and show a contrast between dark and light more. At Walton I often see both feeding together on the mud and it is a good chance to see the difference, but it is not always easy I have to admit.