Murmurations, the glory of Fall

Blog Vol 7.15. Murmurations, the glory of Fall

This time of year is spectactular: the colours, the warm sunshine, the cooler mornings, the harvest, and the birds.  Birds, the theme of the 2026 Burlington Eyecare photo contest, are a favourite topic for this blog. 

Really interesting are the names for groupings: a parliament of owls, a murder of crows, a gaggle of geese, a cast of falcons, a convocation of eagles, a charm of finches, a brace of grouse, and a murmuration of starlings.

The very word is magical in tone and depicts this whimsical, ever moving and changing pattern of thousands of birds. The word ”mesmerizing” comes to mind.  On a recent walk we startled a large and noisy group of starlings perched in the trees lining the road and wow!  (Watch here).

Starlings murmurate in the late fall and into the winter usually at dusk. Thousands of birds move in a pattern that takes on “random” shapes resemble smoke and mist. 

Why?                     Two theories: safety and warmth. There is safety in numbers, just like with a school of fish in the ocean, a predator will get some but not all.  When there are hawks and falcons about, the displays are a lot longer and when there are none, the birds disperse. The cloud blackens when a predator approaches creating a shield. At other times the pattern will ripple and even split when pursued.  The tight group also provides some warmth in the cooler temperatures.

How?                    Researchers have analyzed photographs to find that the birds travel in groups of six or seven and move in concert with each other.

If the groups strays, the birds make corrections as a whole, reacting to movements among the groups and in concert with the whole group, very rapid visual stimulation and flight response. This generates the misting and smoke appearance, random but with an overall pattern. As the birds move around in the sunlight, their reflections and shadows create this beautiful array. It is its randomness and yet cohesiveness with the play of light that is so enthralling.

Where?                Take the time to seek out areas that have water and fields, that provide large food sources, and make perfect spots for dense nighttime roosts, places like the open fields of rural Flamborough, or by the Burlington Canal Lift Bridge near the Canadian Centre for Inland Waters, or at Burlington Heights on York Boulevard in Hamilton.

‘til next week

the good doctor