A Murmuration of Starlings

We are coming into Autumn, a season I truly love, and in which Cornwall shines - woodland walks to stunning sunsets, everything is aglow. From October through to December is also the best time to catch starling murmurations, the name given to the strange phenomena of flocks of starlings creating undulating shapes as they move through the sky.

There is another reason why birds are on my mind, I have been working on our latest poster calendar at work as a graphic designer which has a bit of an ornithological theme. I have always found these strange clouds of black somewhat fascinating, experts are still not sure why the birds chose to do this. Is it to exchange information, to keep warm, to ward off predators - or perhaps just for the shear joy of it!

Starlings are actually on the British birds at risk list, with numbers 80% down on what we had in the 1970s. In Cornwall though, we did see an increase last year, with areas such as Marazion Marsh seeing thousands of the birds returning. 

Starlings at Marazion by Greg Martin, at Cornwall Live

So where is the best place to spot this spectacle? Well we really love Rough Tor, you can't beat that view on any day but when the skies are filled with the flow of starlings it really is a special place. Davidstow is also a good place to spot the birds, but the highest number recorded I think was at Marazion Marsh, numbers reaching one million! Par or Loe Pool are both good places too, they like to roost in places such as woodlands, reed beds and the tops of trees. 

The birds come to roost sometimes as early as September but numbers start to build through the winter with January being the latest you are likely to see them.  

The best time is early evening, just before dusk (I would often spot them on my drive home from work, travelling from north to the south coast, heading through Bodmin, sometimes I would be treated to a display as the sun went down). 

I have to say it is one of the things I am looking forward to this autumn season!