a murmuration of starlings
"Murmuration" is a simply stunning short video taken by independent filmmakers Liberty Smith and Sophie Clive, while canoeing on the River Shannon in Ireland. As the girls say, they "stumble(d) across one of nature’s greatest phenomenons; a murmuration [or collection] of starlings," capturing their unbelievably coordinated movements en masse:
Thanks to my old college floormate Shannon Presler for sharing, via a feature at The Atlantic by Alexis Madrigal, who writes: "neither biologists nor anyone else can yet explain how starlings seem to process information and act on it so quickly. It's precisely the lack of lag between the birds' movements that make the flocks so astonishing." What a beautiful and truly extraordinary testament to the wonders of God's creation.
(screenshot from "Murmuration" by Islands & Rivers, via Vimeo)
February 25, 2012
Reader Comments (2)
Breathtaking! Thank you for sharing this!
No problem, Elaine, I agree it is! Ben