murmuration.

glaswegian

hi all. i was watching autumnwatch the other night when they were showing the starling murmuration,and i was wondering if there is anywhere in the north west this can be seen, as i'd say it must be a spectacular sight.

cheers.

Woodville56

I would suggest you log on to Birdwatch Ireland website and look under Branch Activities for the nearest local Birdwatch branch , they have branches in Sligo/Mayo/Donegal and Leitrim I think ? - contact someone in the local branch and they should be able to point you in the direction of a starling roost in the area.
Good luck !

glaswegian

thanks woodville 56,i'll give that a try.

magicbastarder

did you see the secret life of the shannon? some fantastic footage of murmurations on that. i don't know where it was filmed, though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIj5eAcdjB4

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Not much good to you here in he north east, I know, but we get a great show across the big beside the house. It's actually a bit early for it yet - unually in the second half of November.

swifts need our help!

There is a huge one in Dromore, County Down with an estimated 500,000 birds

Judgement Day

Every time I hear this topic discussed it always reminds me of the fate of the Passenger Pigeon http://blog.cincinnatizoo.org/2013/10/01/passenger-pigeon-imagine-a-billion-birds-flying-overhead/ . I don't think our Starlings are in any danger but the word murmuration always brings the sad story back to me. There's an excellent book on the extinction of the Passenger Pigeon "The Silent Sky" by the late Allan Eckert. Sorry for going off topic.

glaswegian

thanks for all your help lads,that must be some sight in dromore.

Ulmus

I remember when a great flock of starlings used to roost at City Hall, Dame Street, Dublin. The authorities scared off the birds as their droppings were damaging the historic building.

V_Moth

Kildare last night:

http://www.irishbirding.com/birds/web/Display/sighting/63006/Starling.html

V_Moth

Several hundred Starlings giving a nice performance over Wexford Town last night around 5pm.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

I have had murmurations of starlings in their thousands across the reedbeds beside my house for over 15 years. Except 2013/2014 when there's was nil. Here's hoping it's just a glitch.

swifts need our help!

The Dromara murmuration. They start arriving in 10s, then 100s and flocks of 1000s arrive. At some stages the sky from horizon to horizon in all directions is starlings

Woodville56

This murmuration recorded at Lackagh, Galway on Sunday last by Donna Naughton Kemp and posted on Twitter today ( Irish Wildlife Trust tweet) Fantastic piece of recording

http://on.fb.me/1bfYpsY

V_Moth

Large murmuration in the midlands:

http://www.irishbirding.com/birds/web/Display/sighting/65982/Starling.html

Woodville56

V_Moth wrote: »

Large murmuration in the midlands:

http://www.irishbirding.com/birds/web/Display/sighting/65982/Starling.html

This site is quite close to me , might have a look later !

Obliq

Wow! Just have one over mine and the neighbour's land at the moment!! I've never seen one so close - must have at least 5,000 in it. What a noise! They sound like a thousand kites being flown. Deadly! Got no battery in camera, or I'd take a film of it.