PetaPixel

Breathtaking Murmuration of Starlings Caught on Camera

 

Sophie Windsor Clive was canoeing on the River Shannon in Ireland when she came across one of nature’s most beautiful phenomenon: a murmuration of starlings. This is when vast numbers of starlings fly together in giant, cloud-like formations. Luckily for Sophie, she had her camera handy.

Here are some other photographs of murmurations (which make for awesome photographs):

Breathtaking Murmuration of Starlings Caught on Camera murmur1 mini

Breathtaking Murmuration of Starlings Caught on Camera murmur3 mini

Breathtaking Murmuration of Starlings Caught on Camera murmur2 mini

Breathtaking Murmuration of Starlings Caught on Camera murmur4 mini

Breathtaking Murmuration of Starlings Caught on Camera murmur5 mini

Image credit: A murmuration of starlings (3) by ad551, watching the murmur flow by SteveMcN, Alot of Starlings by snapp3r, A murmuration of starlings (1) by ad551, 1..Snake about to chomp Buzzard ! by snapp3r

 
 
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  • SteelToad

    Would that people could only cooperate so well ..

  • http://twitter.com/therealmattymoo Matty

    That is amazing. Wow. Right place at the right time. 

  • Will Swanson

    I watched this on my tiny ipod screen and I still felt like I was on a rollercoaster! Quite  incredible!

  • http://twitter.com/qka qka

    In the US, they’re an invasive species and vermin on the wing. Their flight is enchanting though.

  • Singler

    It’s like a bird flash mob

  • http://twitter.com/MrTinDC Mr. T in DC

    Beautiful, but as noted above they’re an introduced species from Europe and judging by their numbers here, they’re surely displacing indigenous songbirds from their habitats. :(

  • http://www.photoblog.ie patrick dinneen

    A flock of them used to do this ove my neighbourhood every day for a few weeks last year. Stunning to watch but you had to avoid their ‘ariel bombardment’. Here’s a photo I took: http://www.photoblog.ie/2011/02/08/flock/

  • Tania

    Hello, this video was taken in Europe!

  • Marestail

    “Vermin”?? We have Starlings in Canada & I don’t think we consider them in that light. As in the USA, they are an introduced species…kind of like us. Invasive like us, too?

  • Lafrance

    OMG!

  • Me

    People do cooperate pretty well too. It’s how we get hospitals and such.

  • Marcirio Leite

    Maravilha!!! parece um cardume de sardinha, que lindas imagens.

  • Ichin

    For some reason this brought tears to my eyes. Beautiful. 

  • Lavender1905

    If I had seen this and been alone & without camera at the time, I would have thought I was hallucinating. Or that God was talking to me or something……

  • Smith

    Best reply of the century.