The Murmuration Behavior Of Starlings
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See also this for more starling weirdness:
wunderkabinett.co.uk/damndata/index ... k-Sun.html
Link is dead.
Link is dead.
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It's cool but for a split second I thought the two trees moving apart were a pair of giant wings... so once I realised they weren't I was a bit disappointed!!
poozler
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That first video, in particular, is fascinating! Does anybody know what makes the birds do that? It looks like they're merely having fun making the trees bounce around like that. Is there some mundane reason, perhaps food related, like a huge insect infestation in those trees?
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poozler said:
They're trying to settle down to roost for the evening.
Every evening in the winter starlings form a massive flock in the air over a roosting site, with birds flying in to join the enormous wheeling ball of birds from all over the surrounding area. Eventually, they all descend on to the roosting site together en masse; in this case they've chosen those 2 trees which are struggling to support their weight as their site. They keep getting spooked out by passing cars though and keep taking off again
The whole behaviour acts to baffle predators such as sparrowhawks, although they do tend to be attracted to the wheeling flock and do catch the occasional bird.
There are some great places to see this incredible wildlife spectacle in Britain, especially over reedbed areas.
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Pity the link in the OP is dead - here's more starling stuff:
Study of starling formations points way for swarming robots
By Roger Highfield, Science Editor
Last Updated: 8:01pm GMT 29/01/2008
Scientists have uncovered a simple rule that explains how thousands of starlings flock in formation and hope to use the discovery in the future to coordinate swarms of robots.
The reasons why the starlings are able to fly with Red Arrow precision in vast numbers, tumbling and banking in nervous unison and without colliding, has tantalised scientists.
Now it turns out that the secret is for each bird to track seven others, says the first detailed direct observations to have been reported by STARFLAG - Starlings in Flight - a European project involving biologists, physicists, and economists.
The scientists wanted to find out how flocks remain so incredibly cohesive - never leaving a bird isolated - when under attack by a bird of prey.
The team used new methods to gather data on large flocks of starlings over the skies of Rome’s Termini railway station to test the various theories and found that the behaviour of flocking birds is very different from what was believed up to now.
Current computer models assume that each bird interacts with all birds within a certain distance. But the new observations, however, show that each bird keeps under control a fixed number of neighbours - seven other starlings - irrespective of their distance, which is the secret of how they stick together.
“This is very robust and works wherever your neighbours are,” says Andrea Cavagna of Italy’s National Institute for the Physics of Matter.
A flock under predator attack may expand dramatically, but birds can regroup very quickly because the cohesion does not depend on the physical distance among starlings, but rather on their ability to interact with a fixed number of neighbours.
“We finally cracked the experimental problem, and we have now data on the individual 3D position of starlings within large flocks (around 3000 birds) in the field. We are the first to have produced this kind of data, and we are now in the position to compare with existing models and theories,” he adds. “Our result show that one of the main assumptions of current models and theories is, in fact, quite wrong.
“Up to now numerical models of flocking had never been tested against empirical data, and it was impossible to select the right model. Now, thanks to our data, we can really measure what goes on within a flock,” says Cavagna.
The results, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, may be important for fields such as mobile robotics, where highly coordinated swarms of simple units such as robots must solve complex problems such as sweeping an area for surveillance, using simple rules.
The team also concludes that the birds are smarter than was thought. “An interaction based upon the number of neighbours, rather than their distance, implies rather complex cognitive capabilities in birds,” adds Irene Giardina, a fellow researcher, of the Centre for Statistical Mechanics and Complexity in Rome.
http://tinyurl.com/2pwa42
There's more on starlings in Rome in the Weird Weather thread (as the birds were mistaken initially for a weird cloud). Start here:
http://www.forteantimes.com/forum/viewt ... 813#599813
Study of starling formations points way for swarming robots
By Roger Highfield, Science Editor
Last Updated: 8:01pm GMT 29/01/2008
Scientists have uncovered a simple rule that explains how thousands of starlings flock in formation and hope to use the discovery in the future to coordinate swarms of robots.
The reasons why the starlings are able to fly with Red Arrow precision in vast numbers, tumbling and banking in nervous unison and without colliding, has tantalised scientists.
Now it turns out that the secret is for each bird to track seven others, says the first detailed direct observations to have been reported by STARFLAG - Starlings in Flight - a European project involving biologists, physicists, and economists.
The scientists wanted to find out how flocks remain so incredibly cohesive - never leaving a bird isolated - when under attack by a bird of prey.
The team used new methods to gather data on large flocks of starlings over the skies of Rome’s Termini railway station to test the various theories and found that the behaviour of flocking birds is very different from what was believed up to now.
Current computer models assume that each bird interacts with all birds within a certain distance. But the new observations, however, show that each bird keeps under control a fixed number of neighbours - seven other starlings - irrespective of their distance, which is the secret of how they stick together.
“This is very robust and works wherever your neighbours are,” says Andrea Cavagna of Italy’s National Institute for the Physics of Matter.
A flock under predator attack may expand dramatically, but birds can regroup very quickly because the cohesion does not depend on the physical distance among starlings, but rather on their ability to interact with a fixed number of neighbours.
“We finally cracked the experimental problem, and we have now data on the individual 3D position of starlings within large flocks (around 3000 birds) in the field. We are the first to have produced this kind of data, and we are now in the position to compare with existing models and theories,” he adds. “Our result show that one of the main assumptions of current models and theories is, in fact, quite wrong.
“Up to now numerical models of flocking had never been tested against empirical data, and it was impossible to select the right model. Now, thanks to our data, we can really measure what goes on within a flock,” says Cavagna.
The results, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, may be important for fields such as mobile robotics, where highly coordinated swarms of simple units such as robots must solve complex problems such as sweeping an area for surveillance, using simple rules.
The team also concludes that the birds are smarter than was thought. “An interaction based upon the number of neighbours, rather than their distance, implies rather complex cognitive capabilities in birds,” adds Irene Giardina, a fellow researcher, of the Centre for Statistical Mechanics and Complexity in Rome.
http://tinyurl.com/2pwa42
There's more on starlings in Rome in the Weird Weather thread (as the birds were mistaken initially for a weird cloud). Start here:
http://www.forteantimes.com/forum/viewt ... 813#599813
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Starlings like 'swarm of locusts' say farmers
Farmers are demanding to be allowed to shoot huge flocks of starlings that are eating valuable animal feed in alarming quantities after unusually high numbers arrived in this country.
By Harry Wallop, Consumer Affairs Editor 6:00PM GMT 09 Feb 2011
Their call came as two further incidents highlighted the destructive potential of the birds whose numbers have been swelled by starlings escaping particularly cold weather in Europe.
A holiday park in Newquay, Cornwall was faced with a £10,000 clean-up bill this week, after a flock left up to seven inches of droppings. Caravans, roads and trees were all covered. :shock:
The birds have also become a nuisance to the residents of Nantwich in Cheshire, some of whom claim they need to walk around town with an umbrella to protect themselves from droppings. They have petitioned the council to do something about the problem.
Starlings are protected, being a so-called red-list bird, whose population has fallen by more than 50 per cent since 1970, as measured by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
However, though the indigenous population has fallen, during winter starling numbers are swelled by a large number of birds from Europe. It is thought the particularly cold winter on the Continent has encouraged more than normal to come to Britain.
Farmers said that up to a ton of animal feed a day was being eaten by starlings in Lancashire, causing a serious dent to profits. The moment the troughs for the dairy herds are filled, the starlings descend, entering the open-sided barns where the cows live in winter.
Leslie Hull of Gibstick Farm, near Garstang, Lancashire said: "It's like living with a swarm of locusts every day, and yet we're the only EU country that won't allow starlings to be controlled as a pest.
"We've never seen flocks as big as the ones we've had to cope with this winter."
Jim Thornley of Derby Lodge Farm, near Preston, said: "The long spell of cold weather seemed to bring the biggest flocks. They fill the feed troughs for hours and as well as fouling the feed they make a lot of mess."
Jeremy Hunt, at Farmers Weekly, said the problem had been exacerbated on many farms by modern feeding methods. Instead of cows being fed silage – a grass based feed – during they day, they now have a cereal-based feed, which is far more attractive to birds.
Farmers are allowed to apply for a licence from Natural England to shoot the birds, but only after a lengthy process to prove that all other methods have been exhausted. The countryside watchdog said the number of licences granted was increasing, with 13 given out in 2009 and 17 issued last year.
The RSPB said it was aware of the problem and sympathetic towards farmers. However, a spokesman added: "We are alarmed that the number of licenses are going up, given the conservation status of starlings.
"We want to work with farmers to ensure non-lethal methods are used to control the problem, starting with netting."
The spectacular flocks of starlings, which sometimes number tens or even hundreds of thousands, are called murmurations. They have attracted crowds of admirers in places such as Brighton thanks in part to the BBC Springwatch programme highlighting the phenomenon.
Others are less admiring. Mike Finnigan at the Trevelgue Holiday Park in Newquay said: "The bird droppings are causing a major problem. It's acidic and the sheer quantity is phenomenal. The roads on the campsite are absolutely covered and the trees and caravans are lagged.
"It's taking major branches off some trees because of the sheer weight. In some places its up to seven inches deep."
He added: "I have worked here for 15 years and I've never seen anything like it."
etc...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/agricu ... rmers.html
Farmers are demanding to be allowed to shoot huge flocks of starlings that are eating valuable animal feed in alarming quantities after unusually high numbers arrived in this country.
By Harry Wallop, Consumer Affairs Editor 6:00PM GMT 09 Feb 2011
Their call came as two further incidents highlighted the destructive potential of the birds whose numbers have been swelled by starlings escaping particularly cold weather in Europe.
A holiday park in Newquay, Cornwall was faced with a £10,000 clean-up bill this week, after a flock left up to seven inches of droppings. Caravans, roads and trees were all covered. :shock:
The birds have also become a nuisance to the residents of Nantwich in Cheshire, some of whom claim they need to walk around town with an umbrella to protect themselves from droppings. They have petitioned the council to do something about the problem.
Starlings are protected, being a so-called red-list bird, whose population has fallen by more than 50 per cent since 1970, as measured by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
However, though the indigenous population has fallen, during winter starling numbers are swelled by a large number of birds from Europe. It is thought the particularly cold winter on the Continent has encouraged more than normal to come to Britain.
Farmers said that up to a ton of animal feed a day was being eaten by starlings in Lancashire, causing a serious dent to profits. The moment the troughs for the dairy herds are filled, the starlings descend, entering the open-sided barns where the cows live in winter.
Leslie Hull of Gibstick Farm, near Garstang, Lancashire said: "It's like living with a swarm of locusts every day, and yet we're the only EU country that won't allow starlings to be controlled as a pest.
"We've never seen flocks as big as the ones we've had to cope with this winter."
Jim Thornley of Derby Lodge Farm, near Preston, said: "The long spell of cold weather seemed to bring the biggest flocks. They fill the feed troughs for hours and as well as fouling the feed they make a lot of mess."
Jeremy Hunt, at Farmers Weekly, said the problem had been exacerbated on many farms by modern feeding methods. Instead of cows being fed silage – a grass based feed – during they day, they now have a cereal-based feed, which is far more attractive to birds.
Farmers are allowed to apply for a licence from Natural England to shoot the birds, but only after a lengthy process to prove that all other methods have been exhausted. The countryside watchdog said the number of licences granted was increasing, with 13 given out in 2009 and 17 issued last year.
The RSPB said it was aware of the problem and sympathetic towards farmers. However, a spokesman added: "We are alarmed that the number of licenses are going up, given the conservation status of starlings.
"We want to work with farmers to ensure non-lethal methods are used to control the problem, starting with netting."
The spectacular flocks of starlings, which sometimes number tens or even hundreds of thousands, are called murmurations. They have attracted crowds of admirers in places such as Brighton thanks in part to the BBC Springwatch programme highlighting the phenomenon.
Others are less admiring. Mike Finnigan at the Trevelgue Holiday Park in Newquay said: "The bird droppings are causing a major problem. It's acidic and the sheer quantity is phenomenal. The roads on the campsite are absolutely covered and the trees and caravans are lagged.
"It's taking major branches off some trees because of the sheer weight. In some places its up to seven inches deep."
He added: "I have worked here for 15 years and I've never seen anything like it."
etc...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/agricu ... rmers.html
uair01
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This evening I rode my son to the place where he plays the piano. I thought "I'll just take my camera with me, you never know". At a busy intersections he said "Look at those birds, I've seen them before, they seem to be here every day".
When I had parked the car they were still there and I made several movies. This is the best one. I think they are starlings, but I could not take a sharp zoom picture.
The best moves are toward the end of the movie.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/uair01/5497146115/
When I had parked the car they were still there and I made several movies. This is the best one. I think they are starlings, but I could not take a sharp zoom picture.
The best moves are toward the end of the movie.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/uair01/5497146115/
Mythopoeika
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Wow, that's really spooky.
Near the start, they seem to take on the clearly-defined shape of a jet plane, then a bit later, a flying saucer...
Near the start, they seem to take on the clearly-defined shape of a jet plane, then a bit later, a flying saucer...
uair01
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Starling cloud over Rotterdam:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/uair01/5497146115/
There are a few nice moves in there.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/uair01/5497146115/
There are a few nice moves in there.
FrKadash
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Just saw this very nice starling murmuration video posted by BBC Cymru Wales on their official Facebook page, the video was taken at Cosmeston Lakes in the Vale of Glamorgan.
https://www.facebook.com/BBCCymruWales/videos/1265235610204523/
https://www.facebook.com/BBCCymruWales/videos/1265235610204523/
David Plankton
I AM HIM.
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I used to see this happening when I was a kid. I never thought anything about it, just took it for granted. Now I rarely see Starlings in groups of more than thirty.
FrKadash
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Where we are in Ireland I see large murmurations like the one above occasionally but when I'm back in England I don't see them much at all. I think a friend once told me he witnessed a massive murmuration which took and held the form of a large bird
David Plankton
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I know they are still about, murmurations, if you want to see them but back then I could just look out my back door and see it with the sunset.Where we are in Ireland I see large murmurations like the one above occasionally but when I'm back in England I don't see them much at all. I think a friend once told me he witnessed a massive murmuration which took and held the form of a large bird
Swifts. Now there is a bird which I still see a lot of despite a fall in suitable nesting sites. I've been thinking of putting swift nest boxes on my house for a while now. Apparently the best way to attract them is with a loudspeaker playing swift calls.
gattino
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I guess this is vaguely fortean in that I understand its still somewhat mysterious, scientifically speaking, how and why it happens, but just to share an unexpected experience on a weekend trip to Italy.
On Monday we went Pisa and returned from there to Florence, arriving at the train station at twilight, around 5.30pm. As we approached the exit we could hear the battering clatter of torrential rain outside. Crap,we'll be soaked.
Leaving the main entrance and crossing the few yards to the tree lined traffic island immediately in front of it I was confused...We could still hear the torrent, but I couldn't feel a single drop. .
Standing under the sheltering trees and looking up, the real source of the noise slowly dawned on me...the trees were completely alive with birds....and further up in the evening sky something I've only ever seen on David Attenborough documentaries....a (posh word coming up) murmuration of starlings. Flocks of thousands swooping and swooshing in unison to form rythmic aerial patterns. It was the most extraordinary thing I've ever seen unexpectedly. I doubt I'll see it again.
Sadly snapping a simple digital camera at the darkening sky could hardly do it justice, but (with a lot of adjusting of exposure on the computer) this is the best I could do.
On Monday we went Pisa and returned from there to Florence, arriving at the train station at twilight, around 5.30pm. As we approached the exit we could hear the battering clatter of torrential rain outside. Crap,we'll be soaked.
Leaving the main entrance and crossing the few yards to the tree lined traffic island immediately in front of it I was confused...We could still hear the torrent, but I couldn't feel a single drop. .
Standing under the sheltering trees and looking up, the real source of the noise slowly dawned on me...the trees were completely alive with birds....and further up in the evening sky something I've only ever seen on David Attenborough documentaries....a (posh word coming up) murmuration of starlings. Flocks of thousands swooping and swooshing in unison to form rythmic aerial patterns. It was the most extraordinary thing I've ever seen unexpectedly. I doubt I'll see it again.
Sadly snapping a simple digital camera at the darkening sky could hardly do it justice, but (with a lot of adjusting of exposure on the computer) this is the best I could do.
Spudrick68
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We used to see them on the odd winter evening coming back from football at Preston. Driving along Deepdale Road just before sunset in winter. Sometimes we would see loads and loads of them, just like in the picture.
Min Bannister
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We once saw the Gretna murmuration unexpectedly. I agree it is the most extraordinary thing ever. Not just the sight but the sound of thousands of tiny wings and the smell of ammonia. A complete sensory experience. Incredible
GerdaWordyer
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Watching is like seeing an Escher come to life.
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Amazing swirling flock of birds caught on video at Marazion in starling murmuration
By G_WIlkinson | Posted: February 06, 2017
[Video: Nearly 4 minutes!]
It has to be one of the most fascinating sights in nature – where thousands of tiny birds flock together to create a swirling mass.
The seemingly random paths of the individual birds are soon outweighed by the larger flock and it appears to our eyes more like a single, swirling whole.
Properly known as a murmuration of starlings, this gathering was captured on video recently at Marazion by Sorrell Wilson, ahead of the recent bout of bad weather.
She said: "So lucky to experience the starling murmuration at Marazion this evening. Would definitely recommend a trip at dusk to see this amazing spectacle. Nature at its best."
The RSPB charity said starling numbers have dropped significantly in recent year, by as much as 80 per cent. They are now on the critical list of UK birds most at risk. The reason for the drop in population is believed to be the loss of habitat, increased use of farm chemicals and a shortage of food and nesting sites.
http://www.cornwalllive.com/amazing...-murmuration/story-30111581-detail/story.html
The RSPB Bird Sanctuary is based on Marazion Marsh, just west of Marazion village. Some of the water and the sedges are seen in the foreground. I've been to Marazion many times, but as I was never there at dusk I missed out on seeing the murmuration. The video is taken from the main sea-front road, looking roughly north.
By G_WIlkinson | Posted: February 06, 2017
[Video: Nearly 4 minutes!]
It has to be one of the most fascinating sights in nature – where thousands of tiny birds flock together to create a swirling mass.
The seemingly random paths of the individual birds are soon outweighed by the larger flock and it appears to our eyes more like a single, swirling whole.
Properly known as a murmuration of starlings, this gathering was captured on video recently at Marazion by Sorrell Wilson, ahead of the recent bout of bad weather.
She said: "So lucky to experience the starling murmuration at Marazion this evening. Would definitely recommend a trip at dusk to see this amazing spectacle. Nature at its best."
The RSPB charity said starling numbers have dropped significantly in recent year, by as much as 80 per cent. They are now on the critical list of UK birds most at risk. The reason for the drop in population is believed to be the loss of habitat, increased use of farm chemicals and a shortage of food and nesting sites.
http://www.cornwalllive.com/amazing...-murmuration/story-30111581-detail/story.html
The RSPB Bird Sanctuary is based on Marazion Marsh, just west of Marazion village. Some of the water and the sedges are seen in the foreground. I've been to Marazion many times, but as I was never there at dusk I missed out on seeing the murmuration. The video is taken from the main sea-front road, looking roughly north.
Until a couple of years ago I lived in a house which faced Wimbledon Common. Over my 10 years there I saw murmurations half a dozen times - sometimes I would watch them for over a quarter of an hour. What a pity it never entered my mind to film them!
blessmycottonsocks
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This has to be the cleverest method of producing an Escher/Penrose impossible triangle in real life:
Roland Deschain
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As a teenager, on a family holiday in Devon or maybe Cornwall we drove along a lane where the phone lines and trees were full, and I mean shoulder to shoulder full of starlings for 100s of yards. It was so amazing we stopped to see them and they took off together jinking around the sky. We had no idea that it was called a murmuration but it was a gob smacking spectacle. I don't think there's that many starlings left any more
That whole tour was full of amazing and sometimes downright odd things, come to think of it.
That whole tour was full of amazing and sometimes downright odd things, come to think of it.
Waylander
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While I was witness to the most lack luster of murmurations I have ever seen just last week. Consisting of no more than 20 birds. But they did their best, all the swooping, spinning, swirling, looping, barrel rolling the birds could muster... They did their best even for the small number. Interesting though, that birds will do this even in small numbers.
Interesting though, that birds will do this even in small numbers.
Roland Deschain
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While I ever only saw one (huge) starling murmuration I used to love their noisy quarrelsome visits. Nowadays we just get a few pairs. So sad. I used to rent the ground floor of an ex Victorian girls school complete with sports field (my huge garden!) it used to be periodically covered in starlings, 1000s of the buggers. Glorious. We had a foxes den too but I degress.While I was witness to the most lack luster of murmurations I have ever seen just last week. Consisting of no more than 20 birds. But they did their best, all the swooping, spinning, swirling, looping, barrel rolling the birds could muster... They did their best even for the small number.
Krepostnoi
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One of my abiding memories of growing up in 1970s Bradford is of seeing murmurations murmur over the bowl in which that benighted city resides. "It's a mean old scene" as a famous graffito had it, but the aerial displays would take the edge off, for a while. It was a regular occurrence - in my mind, almost daily - until the council installed spikes on all the window ledges in the town centre, thus depriving the birds of their roosting places. (Is that where the idea for those ghasty anti-homeless spikes originated?) I confess I assumed this would have been a regular sight for anyone growing up in a reasonably sized urban environment, but this thread suggests otherwise. So what was it about Bradford in particular that encouraged starlings to gather?