Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!

What have feathers got to do with Valentines? It is some ancient tradition to give a loved one a feather as a symbol of affection? Not to my knowledge but there is a reason why I've chosen the lovely owner's of the beautiful plumage above.

In my youth starlings were one of the most common birds, taking over the bird table and preventing the smaller visitors from getting to the scraps and seed. They were noisy, messy and to be quite honest, a bit annoying to my ornithological viewings. Not any more. These delightful, irridescent and comical birds are now on the red list, although they are still common in gardens. Our British starlings are joined by large numbers of migrants who spend the winter here - good!

It wasn't until last year that I was really fortunate enough to appreciate the wonder of these beautiful birds. We were having a dusk stroll at the amazing Clay Marshes Nature Reserve and out of nowhere, a murmuration appeared that flew directly over our heads. What a rush! It really is unbelieveably awe-inspiriing.

Yesterday we were in Norwich city centre and were again lucky to see this evening wonder. Not as closely but how fabulous is such a gift of nature to be found in a very urban settting? See a short video of them here:-

https://plus.google.com/100543078032292720384/posts/CVoVhCNhit7

Unsurprisingly, I'm now totally in love with our Sturnus vulgaris. Each starling in a flock is connected to every other. How else would such a formation work? The amazing patterns and formations remind us that so much in life cannot be explained. The magic of the universe.

We are all connected, the murmuration is a stunning visual reminder of this and if you needed any more reason to love starlings, look closely at their plumage. It's full of tiny hearts. What better symbol for Valentine's Day? Have a beautiful Sunday.

With love from Annie X.

#starlings #valentines #murmuration