KEEPING YOU IN TOUCH - YOUR FREE MONTHLY NEWSPAPER DELIVERED DOOR-TO-DOOR FOR 32 YEARS STARLINGS : KATIE DOUGLASS


Starlings are a very noisy, gregarious bird and spending a lot of the year moving in a flock, they are often perceived as a bit of a pest compared to other garden birds, especially when feeding in large squabbling groups. This time of year, however, the starling is able to shake off that ‘pesky’ reputation by leaving us in awe, as we stare up in wonder at their beautiful aerial displays. These aerial stunts are known as murmurations


and they are usually


performed over the nesting site, just before the flock settles down for the night.


The autumn roost usually starts around October,


although sometimes as early as September. Flock


numbers continue to grow through October and into November, as more


locations of good feeding areas.


When seen in these numbers, it is hard to imagine that this is a bird in decline. However, starling populations have fallen around 80% in recent years. Much of this decline is due to a loss of permanent pasture, an increased use of


birds join and in some places roost numbers have been known to reach 100,000. They migrate to the UK from northern Europe, with most coming from Scandinavia. Enjoying our relatively mild winters, starlings are able to find food and shelter more easily before returning to their breeding territories.


For us, it is a beautiful display. However, there is good reason for the starlings to participate, principally, safety in numbers. Predatory birds of prey will struggle to pick out just one bird in a mass of hundreds, or even thousands. Gathering together also provides warmth against the cold nights and offers a good way for them to share information amongst the flock, such as the


chemicals on Britain’s farms, as well as ongoing food shortages and an increasing lack of nesting sites across the UK.


The best time to watch starling murmurations is December and January, as this is when the flocks will be at their largest. The winter visitors will begin to leave around February, so it is worth braving the cold and heading out to see them at their most spectacular.


Photograph:


Starling Murmuration Guy Edwardes, 2020VISION


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INFO@COCKERMOUTHPOST.CO.UK ISSUE 437 | 21 NOVEMBER 2019 | 40


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