366 Photos - 75/366 - Tuesday

[byslantedlight]

A murmur of starlings (just a wee murmuration - or as I'm sure they used to be called - flock... *g*)

And more spring!
Hope spring's being nice to people out there...

Comments

[ariss-tenoh.livejournal.com]

I love watching clips of starlings as they fly together. It's like a well choreographed dance^_^

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

They're beautiful, aren't they. I've not seen any massive flocks yet, like you see on YouTube etc., but there's lots of big flocks like this one, and bigger, around here. They like the Somerset levels apparently, and there are massive murmurations of them there (which isn't far away, and somewhere I often drive for fun, so I shall keep my camera with me! *g*)

[loxleyprince.livejournal.com]

Your hyacinth is doing ever so well! Is it scented?

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

It just came into flower yesterday, after being on the verge for ages. D'you know, I've no idea if it's scented, cos I've not been able to smell much while I had flu! ... Hmmn, just checked - I don't think it is scented, or at least it's not right now... What a shame - but maybe that'll change, it's still quite chilly this morning!

[loxleyprince.livejournal.com]

It's still lovely. :-)

[caffyolay.livejournal.com]

I can't remember when I last saw a few starlings close up, we don't get them in our garden here and not in our last garden in Minehead either. (The same with sparrows though I do see those in a hedge in the local park.) The last time I saw any was when we were leaving Exeter one evening and a small 'flock' (*G*) was doing that lovely flying around thing.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

This seems to be their territory - and in fact last summer when I had the half-door at the front, and the door at the back open, they'd come flying in one side and out the other (one at a time, luckily *g*) They swoop all around the stables, so I guess they thought my place was just somewhere else to fly! I love seeing wee clouds of them around too, and I live in hope that I'll be on the levels somewhere at the right time to see a really big murmuration! You'll have to come up this way sometime this summer, and admire them! *g*

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

Birds and flowers, what more could we ask for? :-) After the downpour we had last night, I think the birds are happy (they certainly sound it from here!)

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Definitely nice parts of the day! I was worried today was going to be grey and overcast, cos it started that way, but the sun's come out again a bit, which is nice to see. We seem to have had lots of rain this winter, so I'm enjoying the change right now!

[miwahni.livejournal.com]

I hardly ever see flocks of birds like that, but flocks of bats are commonplace.

Love your hyacinth, and your wee purple flowers. I've no clue what they are but they're pretty!

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

I'd love to see a flock of bats! We used to watch the flocks of cockies swooping around the old gumtrees when I was a kid - that was fun too.

The wee purple flowers are crocuses (crocii? *g*), a sign of spring over here! I thought I'd try planting random spring bulbs in my winter pots, and although I wish I'd bought and planted lots more, I'm enjoying seeing how they come up. There should have been some daffs and jonquils to come up too, but there's no sign of them, and only a couple of snowdrops... well, live and learn!

[golden-bastet.livejournal.com]

A flock of seagulls? Oops, sorry.

I really like that murmur-flock-swarm picture, and not for its resemblance to one Mr. Hitchcock's work. The detail in that is amazing... what kind of camera are you using?

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Hee - actually we get flocks of seagulls too, oddly enough, though not this time of year... *g*

I'm using a Nikon D5300, and that was just with the ordinary 18-55mm lens. Not bad for a hand-held unprepared pic, I guess!

[heliophile-oxon.livejournal.com]

Lovely pic of the murmuration! (well it is a lovely name for them ... like a murder of crows; daft, certainly, but still fun *g*)

I've never seen one for real - could you hear them too, or were they too few and too far for that?

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

It's true, it is a lovely name! Just - seemed to come from nowhere all of a sudden!

You should head out this way, they're quite often around. I've actually been out walking and not seen one come up - but I almost felt it before anything else. Really it was hearing it, I guess - not the birds singing, but the swoooosh of the air made by their wings! It was wonderful!