34 BBC WILDLIFE December 2021
FROMLEFT:^ PAUL^ MANSFIELD/GETTY;^DAVOR^ KRNJETA/GETTYin wet, windy weather, but when conditions
are favourable the first starlings to arrive
usually form a small, tight flock above the
roost location. This acts as a flag, a visual
invitation for any subsequent arrivals to join
their ranks. As ever-larger satellite groups
melt in, the twisting, turning
and morphing flock seems to
take on a life of its own, while
simultaneously managing
to remain in a perfectly
synchronised flying formation.
Predators are frequently
attracted by this super-
abundance of food, with three
or four sparrowhawks and
even a peregrine falcon not
uncommon at the larger roosts.
Their presence can sometimes lead to a
temporary – and spectacular – cleaving or
fragmentation of the flock, as the raptors
attempt to pluck a victim for dinner from
among the thronging masses. Undoubtedly,
the starlings’ safety-in-numbers strategy
hugely reduces the chances of any individual
being caught. And as sparrowhawks, for5
ALBERT BRIDGE,
BELFAST
This is one of the last
remaining city-centre
roosts. With about
30,000 starlings, this
is Northern Ireland’s
largest murmuration,
and they often put
on a fine display
before spending
the night underneath
Albert Bridge.2
GRETNA GREEN,
DUMFRIESSHIRE
Located near the Anglo-
Scottish border, Gretna
Green’s murmuration often
holds more than a million
birds and is usually best
viewed close to the hamlet
of Rigg, along the B721.NEXT MONTH
Bewick’s and whooper swans jockey for
position at our winter wetlandsexample, operate by focussing on one
particular prey item to chase down, this task
is made even trickier when confronted with
a swirling, hypnotic mass.
It has been suggested that starlings will
roost together for communal body warmth,
but recent studies also indicate
the starlings may well be using
the roost as an information
centre. By assessing which of
their neighbours are in the
finest fettle, any hungrier birds
may then be able to follow
their better-fed friends to more
productive foraging areas the
following morning.
Perhaps the question asked
most by those watching in
wonder, however, is how the birds never
appear to collide, despite the near-constant,
split-second changes in direction. Well,
it appears that in addition to lightning
reaction times, each starling operates by
matching the direction and speed of its
closest six or seven neighbours, meaning
just a small cohort of birds can initiate a
huge rippling wave across the entire flock
as the rest follow suit.
Then, as the light levels drop past a
critical point, the birds’ behaviour suddenly
changes. Once this switch is flicked,
thousands at a time begin scything away
from the main flock and start descending
to the roost – almost like iron filings to a
magnet. It’s only once all the birds have
finally dropped from the sky that the
starlings’ collective noun should perhaps
change from that of a ‘murmuration’ to
a ‘chatter’, as the birds compare notes of
the day’s events.Photographers are drawn to the writhing
shapes formed by starling flocksEarly bird
If your starling fix hasn’t been satiated with
the dusk murmuration, returning before
dawn will reward you with their departure.
Seeing the flock rising as one for a day’s
foraging is an unforgettable experience,
even if it’s not a murmuration.Watch out for raptors
While sparrowhawks and peregrines are
the most common birds of prey at starling
murmurations, it’s also worth watching out
for a merlin. In reedbed roosts, you might
spot marsh harriers skimming over the
grass at dawn and dusk.Joining the chorus
If your roost of choice is located in a
reedbed, then, while waiting for the
starlings to arrive, listen our for the ‘piglet
squealing’ display calls of the water rail
(below), called sharming, or the loud song
of the Cetti’s warbler, which has been
likened to someone dropping a saxophone
in a reedbed. In woodland or
parkland roosts, keep an
ear out for territorial
tawny owls preparing
for the oncoming
breeding season.LOOK CLOSER
TOP
FIVE
PLACES“As ever-
larger satellite
groups melt
in, the flock
seems to take
on a life of
its own”3
WEST PIER,
BRIGHTON
This has to be one of
the most iconic spots to
watch a murmuration, as
hundreds of thousands
display above the sea
before descending to
the pier’s remains.4
SHAPWICK HEATH
NNR & HAM WALL
RSPB, SOMERSET
Home to the largest
starling roost in Britain,
Ham Wall even has a
Starling Hotline (07866
554 142) to help you
find the best spots.1
CORS DDYGA RSPB,
ANGLESEY
A large reedbed attracts
up to 350,000 starlings
in some years. It’s also a
great location for many
other wintering waders
and wildfowl, as well as
merlins and peregrines.