Topic: Aerobatic Starlings in Gloucester

[glosterwomble]

I just have to share this with you, I took this short video on Monday evening from our bedroom window. The starlings have been around for a month or so now and it just gets more and more elaborate!  ;D

It is causing a few problems as when they are flying around  they do a lot of pooing!! Our cars and street are covered in muck (and I do mean covered) but for us it is a small price to pay to watch this. It's also keeping people awake when they come to roost as they are roosting in a couple of huge leylandi trees and the noise really is deafening.  :o

http://fork-in-hell.blogspot.com/2008/01/starling-aerobatics.html

[Carol]

That is wonderful to watch, you are so lucky. 

I used to see them doing this crossing the Forth Road Bridge.  Amazing sight, well done for filming them.

 ;) ;)

[glosterwomble]

We are lucky Carol, I can understand people being upset at the mess and noise from them but I had never seen this happening for real only ever on TV so I was thrilled when it started to happen right above us!!  ;D

[Gardengirl]

That's amazing gw, thanks for sharing with us and well done for capturing it so well :)

[manicscousers]

I think it's an amazing sight, our neighbour goes mad about the birds we attract to our garden, especially the doves, he's even stopped feeding the birds 'cos of the 'poo'..goodness knows what he'd do with these, get a gun ?  ;D

[froglets]

Anyone near Crewe railway station at dusk can watch a starling flying display worthy of that TV advert.  of course, if you don't look up, not only do you miss the starlings but you get subjected to fast food outlets & mutton dressed as lamb wearing not enough to cover the flabby bits!!!

[glosterwomble]

I think it's an amazing sight, our neighbour goes mad about the birds we attract to our garden, especially the doves, he's even stopped feeding the birds 'cos of the 'poo'..goodness knows what he'd do with these, get a gun ?  ;D

It amazes me that people get so irate! We used to have a neighbour who hung out of his upstairs window hitting out at house martins as they tried to nest under his eaves, it was so upsetting to see.

[lorna]

Loved it, thank you for sharing with us.

[theothermarg]

thank you ,it brings back memories of a few years ago when my friend and I saw them every evening on our way to clean offices! we spent so much time gazing up at them we were late every night and had to work double fast
although I make the same journey every evening since I have never saw it again
marg

[glosterwomble]

Loved it, thank you for sharing with us.

My pleasure Lorna, it gives us so much pleasure so nice to show it to others.

thank you ,it brings back memories of a few years ago when my friend and I saw them every evening on our way to clean offices! we spent so much time gazing up at them we were late every night and had to work double fast
although I make the same journey every evening since I have never saw it again
marg

This will be our third spring in this house and we have never seen this happen before and people near us don't remember seeing it before.

[angle shades]

 :) fantastic, thank you so much for sharing this with us, I agree you are very lucky, wished it happened over my house

[glosterwomble]

:) fantastic, thank you so much for sharing this with us, I agree you are very lucky, wished it happened over my house

no  probs, glad you liked it!  ;D

[Robert_Brenchley]

We used to get even bigger flocks over Birmingham this time of year, and so many millions roosting that I once had a dead one land on my head as I walked down New Street. They vanished after they netted all the buildings though.

[kenkew]

Well done. Great sight. I see about 200 here-abouts doing that but nothing so grand as that. Long may it continue.
Thanks, Ken. Loved it.

[star]

Aw how lovely GW. The last time I saw that sight was as a child in Ireland, its really nice that you have them so close. Enjoy them, they may go somewhere else next year.

[Jeannine]

That is remarkable , thank you for sharing, I am quite envious, I have never seen this, the only evening thing we used to watch was in Canada when the blackbirds would head home, hundreds of them crossed overhead, but not acrobatically like this. We used to watch them go, it was sort of like wind down time for us, the funny thing, we could never go in after they had passed, there was always one odd one bringing up the rear sometimes a couple of minutes after the crowd, we used to watch and say"here is George, now we can go in "

Fond Memories  mm

XX Jeannine

[Paulines7]

A lovely display Glosterwomble.  Thanks for sharing.

[glosterwomble]

So glad you all like it, the flock does get even bigger Robert but I only filmed for the first 5 mins or so, I keep wondering how they don't hit each other and fall! How do they know when to all turn left or right!!!  ???

Love the visual image you created for me Jeannine!  :) If you look closely at the video I have done you can see a small group of about 5 birds fly in after about 27 seconds just above the telephone wire, you can almost hear them saying to each other as they join the main group ..... 'We're late, we're late, quick!!'   ::)

[greenscrump]

thanks GW  :) I like to think of the starlings that empty my feeders every day all revved up and lovely somewhere !

[glosterwomble]

thanks GW  :) I like to think of the starlings that empty my feeders every day all revved up and lovely somewhere !

Wow you have fed them well to make them fly from Sussex to Gloucester!!!  ;D