Thursday, November 10, 2011

More Murmurations

I remember blogging about this last year - or maybe it was the year before. But it happens every year and every year it gives me a thrill to see the winter starlings arrive again in their thousands and dance in the sky. I love to feel the rustling currents of them around me as they swoop low over the hedgerows or take off from the stubble fields with a roar of wings.
Of course, it signals a few months of heavy traffic around the bird feeders, as these brash migrants from northern Europe muscle their way in amongst the more timorous locals. But when they put on aerial ballets like this one so beautifully captured on video by Sophie Windsor Clive (to whom many thanks),I cannot begrudge them even one seed.
Murmuration from Sophie Windsor Clive on Vimeo.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Around here, the juncos are a sign that winter is coming. They came the first of the month and will hang round till spring starts it warming. They remind me of sparrows wearing tuxados

Elderwoman said...

We used to see juncos when we lived in California. I used to enjoy the way they bobbed around busily on the path, always staying just a little bit ahead of us as we walked, and rarely flying away. Thank you for reminding me of those sweet little birds.