Starling murmuration in Ballymount.

The Noble Nudge

Just to give you a heads up.
Never seen one before other than on tv but the past two nights leaving Ballymount about 4:45pm a massive starling murmuration absolutely fantastic looking if anybody wants to see it. I'm not sure if it's a rare event but is for me...
The Ballymount Cross end near the M50 above fast ways couriers...

The Noble Nudge

The Noble Nudge wrote: »

Just to give you a heads up.
Never seen one before other than on tv but the past two nights leaving Ballymount about 4:45pm a massive starling murmuration absolutely fantastic looking if anybody wants to see it. I'm not sure if it's a rare event but is for me...
The Ballymount Cross end near the M50 above fast ways couriers...

Photo the videos better but not sure how to post it...

Sundew

I used to see murmurations over the Grand Canal near Park West/Naas Rd when driving home from work in The Autumn. It looks fab and a great distraction when stuck in traffic! :-)

emo72

its directly over JFK industrial estate. see it every day.

apus apus

Are they roosting in a building?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

apus apus wrote: »

Are they roosting in a building?

No, they roost in trees and reeds in the Phoenix Park and suchlike.

swifts need our help!

Who changed my name to apus apus?

swifts need our help!

and now its back to normal?!

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

swifts need our help! wrote: »

and now its back to normal?!

It's still there. A previous reg maybe.

emo72

Derek Noisy Voodoo wrote: »

No, they roost in trees and reeds in the Phoenix Park and suchlike.

are you sure about that? the ones in jfk land on a roof or maybe they are getting some sort of shelter. i thought the murmuration was the little dance they do before settling down for the night? seem strange to land and then fly a mile or 2 north to settle in the park. never see them take off after landing.

we need to sort this mystery:pac:

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

emo72 wrote: »

are you sure about that? the ones in jfk land on a roof or maybe they are getting some sort of shelter. i thought the murmuration was the little dance they do before settling down for the night? seem strange to land and then fly a mile or 2 north to settle in the park. never see them take off after landing.

we need to sort this mystery:pac:

No mystery. It's well studied and recorded. They form many flocks in the murmurations. Some will settle on wires rooves etc during it but they don't roost on rooves in any great numbers overnight. It's only 3km which is no distance for the murmuration to settle.

But sure look, solve the mystery yourself by actually following them to the roost, just in case things have changed. It's a challenge - I've done it over open countryside - but have a go.

emo72

i had to google what "rooves" was. the old way of saying "roofs"! ok i cant follow them through an industrial estate. but i do watch this murmuration every day, and see them settle on the roof. never seen them leave and head north, unless they are doing that after dark.

the real question is, why have a murmuration in one place, when its almost dark, and then go and roost somewhere else? just have the murmuration in the park to begin with perhaps? although i think i may have an answer. perhaps 30 years ago before the place was developed they roosted in the marshlands that were there. i remember looking for tadpoles and frogs in that area when i was a kid. it was all fields.

so maybe the murmuration is there because its a really old one, and they are following old habits? its an industrial area now. would they still follow that habit over 30 years?

emo72

dreaded double.

The Noble Nudge

apus apus wrote: »

Are they roosting in a building?

The Ballymount one I see they look to be nesting in a group of trees.