A murmur above

November 18, 2023, 7:34 am , by Richard Lutz

RICHARD LUTZ looks up and witnesses flights of fancy

My publisher says I need punchier, eyeball-grabbing high impact photographs to kick off my product.

I accede to these demands about ‘my product’ and offer the above picture.

It’s tens of thousands of starlings over British winter skies as the last burst of sun lights a western horizon. It’s known as a murmuration and the agile birds, sometimes up to 100,000 at a time, twist and spin, curl and turn with the agility, grace and speed of Olympic gymnasts. Why, there’s even a website (isn’t there for everything…?) dedicated to murmurations.

The huge display is formed, according to birdologists, to offer protection from predators. It’s also thought that it warms the air during cold roosting months. Its name comes from the sound the flock emits which, some say, resembles the our own human murmur. Maybe….

There…I’ve listened to my publisher (well, that’s actually me) and hit you with that fantastic picture. And because you’re a good lot, here’s another Murmuration Snapshot:

And with that I’ll plunge into the much more mundane world down here on planet Earth. And that’s my back garden where birds gather for their free takeaway. Maybe ‘gather’ is the wrong word. It’s actually a riot. They argue and chatter, banter and bicker in a fraught chirpfest. It’s aural chaos. Are they fighting over who’s first in line, or who foots the bill (it’s always me), who perched where on the feeding tube or who’s just simply grabbing too much? The sparrows are the worst.

Other birds cram the feeders, poke around the wet earth and peck at stone walls to add grit and salt to their diet. The better the grub, the faster it gets devoured. And the more I have to buy.

They’re all hungry greedy little devils- sunflower hearts, peanuts and niger seeds always leading to a mega-quarrel in the hedges or on rooftops above me.

Along with the masses of combative sparrows, there’s the little bluetits flitting in and out:

and a flash of yellow from a single greenfinch which sits inside a pyracanthas right near the feeder…always first in the queue:

Who else we got coming to the buffet? Blackbirds, robins, coal tits, wrens. On the ground staking their claims are dinosaur sized pigeons waddling for crumbs. Elegant collared doves drop in for a quick peck and malevolent hooded crows swoop down and scatter all other diners. Except for the scrappy robins which defy all competitors. The crows are the only birds I shoo away.

In still weather, buzzards circle above the fields and trees. They are Scotland’s most common raptor. Their call pierces the air.

But back to the starlings. They are pretty things with iridescent feathers:

But add them all up and it’s an aerial circus:

…their intricate dances dominating a winter sky.

+ photos by Walter Baxter and Mathias Appel