The Belper starling murmeration is continuing to give local people such a sense of awe and wonder as part of our daily routine, it feels incredibly special.
Every time I've managed to get along to watch, there's a little crowd gathered to enjoy the wonderful display; it feels such a strong sense of community as people of all ages take time to ensure they can appreciate this bit of magic on our doorstep.
There's a ever present sparrowhawk too, and sometimes a peregrine, which adds to the drama and means the birds create someone really fast tight patterns as they fly - there's gasps from those who are watching.
There's never any guarantee of how the display will pan out each evening, it does change with the weather and then the different light and the rain and cloud and the moon all add to the whole experience - it fills all your senses as you watch. The murmeration gets later each evening alongside twilight, and it will stop soon as spring takes a firmer hold - so it feels really important to take it all in whilst its here. It feels that there's fewer birds now (though its still a large number) and they will start to migrate back to their breeding grounds, some in far flung northern places.
One of the utter delights in being to watch a murmeration as closely as this is that the birds swoop low over your head, it creates a really strong sound and you can feel the power of their wingbeats through the air as they dash overhead. You can hear them calling to each other and when they do their sudden darting movements the sounds as they change direction and form tight thick balls is really spectacular.
Its been great to have the opportunity to photograph and film them so much, though its hard to photograph so many birds moving so fast in the half-light of dusk! But, I do make sure I put the camera down too whilst I'm there, because the best parts come through just watching and being there and fully taking it all in.
Thank you starlings for adding some magical moments to our daily lives here.
Every time I've managed to get along to watch, there's a little crowd gathered to enjoy the wonderful display; it feels such a strong sense of community as people of all ages take time to ensure they can appreciate this bit of magic on our doorstep.
There's a ever present sparrowhawk too, and sometimes a peregrine, which adds to the drama and means the birds create someone really fast tight patterns as they fly - there's gasps from those who are watching.
There's never any guarantee of how the display will pan out each evening, it does change with the weather and then the different light and the rain and cloud and the moon all add to the whole experience - it fills all your senses as you watch. The murmeration gets later each evening alongside twilight, and it will stop soon as spring takes a firmer hold - so it feels really important to take it all in whilst its here. It feels that there's fewer birds now (though its still a large number) and they will start to migrate back to their breeding grounds, some in far flung northern places.
One of the utter delights in being to watch a murmeration as closely as this is that the birds swoop low over your head, it creates a really strong sound and you can feel the power of their wingbeats through the air as they dash overhead. You can hear them calling to each other and when they do their sudden darting movements the sounds as they change direction and form tight thick balls is really spectacular.
Its been great to have the opportunity to photograph and film them so much, though its hard to photograph so many birds moving so fast in the half-light of dusk! But, I do make sure I put the camera down too whilst I'm there, because the best parts come through just watching and being there and fully taking it all in.
Thank you starlings for adding some magical moments to our daily lives here.
One of the birds in the above photograph is not a starling... Its like "Where's Wally?" of murmerations...
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