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| Whale of a time: A murmuration of starlings put on an
a display over the town of Gretna (Picture: PA)
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The spectacular display, known as a murmuration, is seen when the birds visit
south-west Scotland twice a year in February and November.
Starlings congregate for added security and to
share warmth and their numbers are boosted by migrant birds from Europe, the
RSPB reports.
This group appeared just before dusk on Saturday
in Gretna.
The RSPB said while there are only up to 300,000 breeding pairs of starlings in the summer around Gretna, in the winter that number increases to three million.
'When the breeding cycle is over for the year,
starlings come to Britain from the continent because it is so cold on mainland
Europe,' said Neil O'Donnell, of the RSPB in south and west Scotland.
'They form these special flocks in the sky if
predators are around. The birds are better off being in a massive flock, as
this confuses the predators and also there are more eyes to look out for
danger.'
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