Murmuration from Islands & Rivers on Vimeo.
This video is sweeping the Internet. If you haven’t seen it yet you’ll love watching this huge starling flock, called a murmuration, swirling above two girls canoeing in Ireland.
Starlings flock in large numbers in the winter when they’re getting ready to roost. If the flock sees a predator, each bird pulls in closer to his neighbor until the mass of birds looks like a solid swirling ball.
This flock must feel threatened — they’re flying that close!
And I wonder … where’s the peregrine?
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(video by Liberty Smith and Sophie Windsor Clive on Vimeo. Read about their encounter in this article at the Huffington Post.)
Beyond great!!! What an experience.
So cool!
Wow!
There was one similar to this from Sweden or somewhere else a couple of years ago.
OK, I typed that and then I went and looked on youtube. . . (it was actually Denmark).
First I found this on youtube:
Spectacular Starling Flock – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vhE8ScWe7w
This shows a murmuration and a single falcon (I think I saw it) over Gretna Scotland.
4:37 (4½ min.)
And there I found the Denmark video too (it’s even better than the Ireland one).
300,000 Birds Swarm Over Denmark –
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V71hz9wNsgs
1:00 (1 min.)
There are many, many more including one from Sacramento:
Half Million Birds Swarm Over Sacramento
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jr64WSzkTo
2:01 (2 min.)
Rob