BBC Wildlife - UK (2019-12)

WILDMONTH

Our guide to the seven wildlife events

not to miss as temperatures drop.

By Ben Hoare

James Warwick

Wetendto forgetthatBritainis thesource,

aswellasthedestination,ofinvasive‘alien’

species.Takethestarling.AsrevealedbyBBC

Radio4’sfascinatingdocumentaryShakespeare’s

Starling, inthe1890sa USsocietyhadthe

brightideaofintroducingmanyEuropean

speciesofbirdmentionedbythebard– with

devastatingconsequences.Nowtherearemore

than 200 millionstarlingsinNorthAmerica,

andthey’rewreakinghavoc.

Backinthebird’snativerange,however,

wefacetheoppositeproblem– dwindling

numbers.StarlingsareontheRedListof

speciesofconservationconcern,dueto

steepdeclinesintheirbreedingpopulation.

Sotheawe-inspiringaerialmanoeuvres,

ormurmurations,thatstarlingsperform

beforegoingtoroostinwinterarenoticeably

thinneronthegroundthantheywereas

recentlyasthe1980s.

Yettheduskdisplays,whichareswelled

bymigrantbirdsfleeingtheharsher

conditionsinScandinavia,EasternEurope

andRussia,remaina highlightof

thewildlifewatcher’scalendar.

Thebestmurmurationsusually

occuroncold,still,clearevenings

betweenDecemberandFebruary.

AnepisodeofRadio4 series

Naturebangexploresthescienceof

thesespectacles...andhowthestarlings

managenottosmashintooneanother.

FIND OUT MORE

Top UK spots for starling murmurations:

starlingsintheuk.co.uk

1 | STARLING

High and low

ONLINE

SHAKESPEARE’S

STARLING

How starlings reached

America.