How to Watch a Starling Murmuration
Starlings are most famous for their dancing air formations involving huge flocks of thousands or even a million of the tiny iridescent birds. These shifting, swirling cloud-like dances are called murmurations. To avoid collisions, each bird must keep watch on the seven nearest starlings, and be alert to avoid attacks from hawks and eagles. If an enemy is spotted, the entire dance shifts to avoid being eaten.
Starlings most often form murmurations in November and December.
Starlings were brought to the United States from the British Isles in 1890. Eugene Schieffelin, was a member of the American Acclimatization Society, which imported many creatures from around the world into North America. Mr. Schieffelin loved Shakespeare’s plays. He decided to bring all the birds from Shakespeare’s plays to Central Park in New York City.
Starlings are mentioned in Henry IV, part 1, scene 3.
He imported 60 starlings. 32 of the starlings took shelter under the eaves of the American Museum of Natural History, and survived. They soon spread all across the United States and Canada.
1) Find out if starlings fly near you.
Here’s a map of where starlings fly in the British Isles: http://www.starlingsintheuk.co.uk/roost-map.html
And here’s a map of where they fly in the United States. http://www.sibleyguides.com/2010/11/questions-about-starling-migration/
Starlings were originally brought to Central Park in New York City, but they are most often seen on the west coast. They fly more frequently throughout the year at low elevations such as in the state of Washington.
2) Watch out for bird poop.
While the birds fly, they poop. Normally bird poop is healthy for plants, but a flock of a million starlings can drop bird poop a foot deep, which can kill plants. People don’t like to have birds’ poop fall on them, either.
If you want to enjoy watching starlings, it’s handy to bring an umbrella to protect yourself.
3) Because starlings can destroy crops, it’s important to look for their nests. Starlings love trees with lots of branches that hide them from predators. If you see starlings nesting in a tree near farmland, be sure to tell the owner to thin the branches.
4) Starlings also roost in abandoned buildings.
Since bird poop is difficult to clean off bricks, it’s a good idea to remove the nests when you find them. Starlings can nest anywhere, so they’ll keep moving until they find a place that is safe from predators and humans who move their nests. They will still fly in their beautiful murmurations.
Enjoy the murmurations, but protect yourself and nearby crops from their poop.
This tip sheet is by Lois Wickstrom, author of Carrie’s Flight, coming this March from Look Under Rocks press.
