A murmuration to come




      A few years ago we only saw starlings in groups of five or six no matter what the season was but in the last two years the flight of five or six has become a squadron and now we have a big wing of well over two hundred birds. I suppose I could enlarge the photograph on screen and count them but there are quite a lot there on the power lines so that's my estimate.
      Why does a local wing like this one develop? Good nesting and breeding conditions? Available food? Good shelter in inclement weather? If all of those conditions were and are available why the population explosion now?
      More questions than answers I think.
      The event we're looking forward to are the aerobatics as they roost on winter evenings because the big wing is still growing so there should be a spectacular murmuration in the evening skies this winter.



      

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