Starling Murmuration over Kinnordy Loch
Watching a starling murmuration is something few would forget. While not in their thousands the starlings coming into roost at Kinnordy Loch are well worth a visit. This particular evening a few birds first swooped in over the back of the hide to be joined by others till then numbered about a thousand - I didn't count them. They dutifully performed their aerial ballet for me before swooshing down to the reeds. The sound of their wings as they come into land is beautiful. My photos don't do it justice.
What is a Murmuration?
Regularly through the autumn starlings gather in huge flocks whirling and dipping in the sky in formations that confound the eye. Some think they gather in murmurations to attract other starlings, safety in numbers before they roost for the night. They are called murmurations after the sound made by hundreds of bird's wings and calls.
They typically pick reed beds to roost in and it is thought they gather like this to confuse predators; in tightly spaced acrobatics it is more difficult to pick out their prey although a murmuration is itself a target for birds of prey. When one appears the ball of birds becomes ever denser. Moving swiftly, they can fly up to 50 miles an hour, and constantly changing direction and shapes confuses the hunters.
There doesn't seem to a single bird direction operations instead it appears those in the centre see what is happening around them and follow. They constantly change position in the flock, the edges becoming the middle and back again. This may be a way of determining the strongest. When they suddenly swoop down to roost it is the strongest who come in last. They get to roost at the top of the reed while those above them must put up with their droppings.
Good Resources
Following are good resources to check out if you want to know more about starling murmurations and see some spectacular videos.
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