Starlings Coming Home to Roost

A phone call from my friend, Dick Gough, yesterday afternoon was the prelude to one of the most spectacular events that I have ever witnessed.

As well as being an artist who transforms bog wood into elegant sculptures, Dick is an avid photographer who specialises in photographing all forms of wildlife in their natural habitat. His objective yesterday was to get some pictures of starlings coming to roost for the night. He explained to me that it would be a spectacular event and if conditions were right and the birds obliged, it would be possible get some good pictures. I was delighted when he invited me to go along with him.

Well, I knew dick wouldn’t be going on a wild goose chase – or should I say wild starling chase – but I couldn’t help wondering what kind of pictures he hoped to get of flocks of birds coming to a grove of trees to bed down for the night. He assured me there was a treat in store and he was not mistaken.

We arrived at the chosen location just as the sun was setting. It was a lovely evening – cold but dry. We didn’t have long to wait before the birds started to arrive. First, they came in small flocks from all different directions. Meanwhile while the arriving flocks were getting larger and larger, they were all joining together to form one large flock flying over and adjacent to their landing site. This went on for some time until the sky was black with them. Then as if by some method of communication, which is incomprehensible to me, that informed them that all the birds had arrived, the show began. They flew across the sky in perfect formations, wheeling and diving and crisscrossing each other’s flight path forming all kinds of different shapes and forms until finally, they were right over their roosting place. Then one last display and they were gone. In one body they just dropped into the trees. Dick described this as like pouring grain out of a bucket and I can’t think of a more appropriate description.

I hope the attached videos will give you some flavour of the event. If you listen carefully, at the end of one video, you will hear Dick’s comment to me which I think sums up the whole event perfectly.