Starlings are among our common birds, but have suffered a decline in numbers for many years, with some estimates indicating a fall of around 80%. Some of the reported decline may simply be down to a change in habits (if they don’t come near towns, they’re not seen and not recorded), but certainly the giant murmurations are a less frequent sight. As with the similarly seemingly common, but endangered, herring gull, starlings are red-listed.
This is a smallish flock, not strictly a murmuration, flying over Falmer today. Click on the images to enlarge.
Camera note: all photos taken with the Canon 7D and EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM IS lens.
dW
27 Feb 2014The starlings were the bullies in my area, chasing the sparrows that nested in my eaves. The sparrows could get in, but the starlings were too big, and the sparrows would turn around and give the starling what for.
Words
1 Mar 2014dW, we don’t see nearly as many sparrows as when I was young. Like starlings they seem to be in long-term decline, partly (mainly?) die to habitat changes, loss of hedges and people paving over gardens.