Starlings!

Plenty of fresh air and exercise today. On Saturday I took delivery of a new lens, one I've been eyeing up for nigh on two years, so at lunchtime took it for a walk round Ferry Meadows to check all was working OK. I was very pleased with it performance, and was convinced that I would be posting one of my bird shots.

However, after a very late lunch, I noticed that the sky was developing some interesting shades, so made a spur of the moment decision to visit our very own Peterborough starling murmuration. I dashed out of the house without checking my map properly, so ended up parking in quite the wrong place, and had to power walk for about 1km to get to the location.

I was worried that I might have been too late, but actually my timing was perfect and I was able to watch the whole spectacle as it gradually built in splendour. The experience was spine-tingling. At times the sky seemed completely full of birds, sweeping synchronously across the horizon and then swooping so low overhead that you could feel the rush of their wings. Some superb shapes, especially when the resident sparrowhawk came to try his luck.

As usual I ended up with too many photographs, but this was the moment when I nearly whooped with joy, as thousands of starlings flew just a few feet above me. Other images from the murmuration can be found here.