If you're a nature enthusiast and don't know what a murmuration is, you'll probably want to witness one in person after watching the accompanying video, which was posted recently by Liberty Smith and Sophie Windsor Clive after their canoe expedition on Ireland's River Shannon. (Stay with the video and you won't be disappointed.)
They titled the video, "A chance encounter and shared moment with one of nature's greatest and most fleeting phenomena," and it involved a massive flock of European starlings (a murmuration) soaring above the river in what seems a choreographed ballet.
Murmurations typically occur at dusk in late autumn or early winter, as the starlings return to roost after long-distance feeding missions. The remarkable events are not rare, but since they happen suddenly and do not last long, witnessing them is fairly rare.
Some experts believe the starlings flock together en masse and fly in this manner in defense against predators such as peregrine falcons.
The video is part of a short film and has become an Internet sensation. Said Windsor Clive via email: "We never thought it would spread quite as far as it has [but] we are very happy that people are enjoying it, and that they can share a sight that is breathtaking."
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