Murmuration; a natural phenomenon destroyed by a council.
I’ve learnt a new word; murmuration. According to the Oxford dictionary murmuration means both the act of murmuring, and a flock of starlings. However, the word has come to mean not just a flock of starlings, but the movement the birds make. It is a phenomenon of nature that amazes and delights those lucky enough to witness it, as the birds whirl in an ever-changing pattern. It is worth looking at the video. In the winter months thousands of starlings come together to roost in trees for the night. Before settling, however, they put on aerial displays, swooping and diving in unison. Why do they do this? The ornithologists tell us that they do it for various reasons. It gives them safety in numbers as birds of prey which are hunting them find it hard to target one bird in the middle of a hypnotising flock of thousands. They also do it to keep warm at nights and to exchange information. If you watch the video you will see how sometimes the murmuration splits into two. This c...
