Murmuration

This is an amazing video by Sophie Windsor Clive and Liberty Smith, of a murmuration on the River Shannon in Ireland.

Each fall thousands of starlings, at twilight, gather in magical shape-shifting flocks called murmurations, having migrated by the millions from Russia and Scandinavia to avoid winter’s chill. Scientists have not been able to explain this awe inspiring phenomenon, which rely on the tiny bird’s almost instantaneous reaction time of under 100 milliseconds to avoid aerial collisions and predators in a massive flock.

Despite their show of force in this dusky sky, starlings have declined significantly in the UK in recent years, perhaps because of a drop in nesting sites. Man destroying another beautiful mystery in this world for money.

-Cara