Over the past few weeks Penrose has been lucky enough to be the scene for one of my favourite natural events, a murmuration of Starlings. If you have ever seen this close up it is a sight to behold. Thousands of individual Starlings moving as one in a fish like shoal around the sky. The early evening is the best time to see this spectacle up close, and with the birds sweeping low over Loe Pool and silhouetted against the trees it’s a special moment you won’t forget.

Starlings come together like this for a few reasons. Coming together means they have safety in numbers from predators. Individuals are hard for Raptors to pick out in the swirling clouds. Having a few friends’ means it’s also warmer at nights as they tend to roost together in very large numbers. Once they have picked a good spot to roost for the night like any large group they can be quite vocal, and again the noise levels will increase as they begin to stir at dawn. They leave again in massive numbers and can even be picked up on radar, which I bet has caused a few raised eyebrows for fresh recruits at Culdrose.

Stats from the RSPB show that “the starling population has crashed by over 70% in recent years, meaning they are now on the critical list of UK birds most at risk. The decline is believed to be due to the loss of permanent pasture, increased use of farm chemicals and a shortage of food and nesting sites in many parts of the UK”

This makes the spectacle that little bit more important. The past decade has seen a lot of work take place at Penrose between the farmers and landowners to assess the land capability and it seems like we are now seeing the benefits.

If you are around the Helston area then come along around 4pm to try and catch a glimpse.

Greg

Community Ranger.