Creation grace: Starling murmuration & evening roost


One evening as I was driving home, I spotted a moving black cloud over the fields. I stopped and watched a gathering of starlings come together and dance in aerobatic, soaring beauty over the fields. The flock parted and came together, swooped and climbed heights. The display was inexpressibly beautiful. At the end, the flock settled in the treetops next to the field and the dance was over.

Scientists call this behavior 'starling murmuration.' "Starling swarms, an extraordinarily beautiful ballet at dusk that is a pre-roosting phenomenon of nature known as ‘starling murmuration.’" Capturing the flock in motion proved to be too hard a task for me and my camera, my photos mostly came out blurry. I didn't even think to set it on video, lol, I was so captured by the beauty of this, the dancing birds, pink sky and rising moon. There are some gorgeous pics of the phenomenon for you here.

About Birding says "Small birds sleep perched high in trees, typically close to the trunk of the tree. The trunk holds heat from the daytime to provide better shelter, and the birds will be alerted to any vibrations predators make if they climb the tree looking for prey. Many birds, such as red-winged blackbirds and other gregarious species, form large roost flocks at night. This provides them safety in numbers as they sleep, and several birds on the edges of the flock may remain alert through the night to guard against predators or other threats."

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Lord, thank You for your endless creativity and intellect. 
I feel such joy at being a part of Your creation.

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