The starlings on Brighton Pier are a spectacular sight. In the winter they huddle in the cosy warmth that the arcades above offer and in the evenings they go on these mysterious display flights in great morphing clouds. We usually try to get down to the pier at sunset on at least one occasion a season to see them. This year we went twice. Both times were clear sunsets and should have been perfect for seeing some murmurations. We fairly ran both times to catch the starlings before the light faded but they didn't seem to want to perform.
Instead of the tight well-trained mass formations we have seen previously (see here), they were undisciplined and flew off in separate little splintered groups, only mildly spectacular, like their telepathic guiding instincts were weak or maybe there had been disputes within the larger community.
Ed said he saw a million starlings one evening. He said they looked amazing and people were stopping in the streets to gaze in ecstatic rapture at them.
Maybe we just went on the wrong days this year.
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| Rose looks on as the sun explodes and the starlings scatter |
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