It happens once or twice a year. I hear a high pitched sound that I can’t identify. It gets louder and louder. I look out the window. And there they are. Hundreds and hundreds of black birds, far more than you can see in these photos, in every tree. Flying, landing, calling, moving in a huge mass. The sound they make is deafening.
I run for a camera and take photos as fast as I can. Then, in an instant, they are gone.
I don’t know what kind of birds they are. Starlings? Blackbirds? I’d love to know more about the swarming they do. Are they migrating back north after spending their winter in the south? It seems likely.
There are so many of them! I saw them twice yesterday, in the morning and in the late afternoon.
It’s one of those things in nature that stops you in your tracks. A moment when something takes over the landscape for a short while and transforms it. I’m glad they chose our trees for a quick stop on their journey.
Happy Friday.
I saw something on TV just this week about the starlings “ganging” up and migrating.
Have a nice day.
Balisha
You too, Balisha!
I think starlings. When they arrive, if you feed the birds during the winter it’s time to stop, as they’ll eat everything up in less than a day! : ) I have had European starlings here off and on all winter but when those big ones arrive it seems to be the official start of spring / summer. AND I have ones that build a nest in the gutter area right above where I park my car so it also becomes the official start of Daily Bird Poop on The Car Season! :)
When we first moved here, starlings would nest in the niches on the front porch – but they took over and we couldn’t go out there. So we eventually covered up all the niches. I love birds and babies and nests but they made the porch inaccessible!
Interesting they arrived on the first day of Spring, Deb!
I did not know that it was time to stop feeding when the starlings come. I have some all winter, but there have been gangs in the past few days and they truly do eat everything in site. I notice my Mr. “Squirrel” doesn’t come around when they are here. The bluejays give a wide berth as well. Guess I will take the feeders in as soon as they are empty. I surely will miss my daily fix of watching those beauties flock to my yard.
Gangs of starlings! I imagine a West Side Story with the Sharks and the Jets being birds!
Claudia, Good photos. If it’s Starlings…yuck…I hate those nasty birds. They can’t sing, run over other birds, And are a nuisance in general. Hope they do not decide to stay at your place. Where are the hawks when you need one. LOL. xoxo,Susie
Some bird are tougher and more dominant, that’s for sure. The way of the world.
No, they were on their way somewhere else, though we always have a starling or two hanging around here.
Claudia- in case you might be interested, there are some amazing youtube videos of starling formations and flight set to music and they are truly amazing to look at.
Hope you have a nice weekend :)
I’ll check them out, Sue. Thank you!
There Starlings and it’s sorda creepy isn’t it? Happens here too.
Slightly creepy but mostly fascinating and amazing.
Beautiful pictures Claudia — thanks for sharing. I agree with others…believe they are Starlings. And, yes, if you google Starling Murmuration you will find utube videos, etc. Beautiful videos of amazing flight patterns. Even though Starlings are called by some a nuisance, I do love all birds and am almost hypnotized watching them fly. It’s almost nest building time here in PA and I have a ton of “orts” — thread ends from my winter embroidery that I will put out for the birds to add some colour to their beautiful nests.
I’m going to google that, Vera. I love all birds, too. I was driving the other day and a hawk was flying so low over my car I thought it might land on it! Gorgeous.
I’ve seen those birds and I also think they are starlings. Amazing when they migrate like that!
Truly amazing, my friend.
Yesterday, the first red wing black bird appeared at our nature area. Spring is here!
Yay!
Good morning, Claudia! How odd…the poem I chose for my blog this morning is….wait for it….The Birds!! :-)
Thanks for sharing the photos, and have a good weekend! xxoo, Martha
Oh my! I have to go read it, Martha – have a wonderful weekend!
NBC News just ran a feature last night on the huge numbers of geese that are currently migrating north again and apparently make an annual rest stop in Kearney, Nebraska. Beautiful pictures and the same deafening noise that just fills the air. PS – I think I understand the “creepy factor” that some commenters have expressed. I blame Alfred Hitchcock. :>)
I saw that feature, Janet, but I think it was Sandhill Cranes. Then I looked up the Rowe Sanctuary in NE and saw it was definitely Sandhill Cranes.
Whatever they, those first pictures reminded me of the Alfred Hitchcock movie…The Birds. Creepy to say the least. But it’s Mother Nature’s way of letting us all know that all is well with the world, and nature will return to normal. I know, here, a lot of geese have been returning…and that’s always a positive sign. Enjoy your day! ;)
Spring may just be happening, even though we are supposed to get a ‘wintry mix’ tonight.
When I used to live in the Catskill region of NY, the crows would swarm like that every Spring & Fall and our town would try all kinds of things to scare them away…nothing really worked. I have heard red winged blackbirds around here and my Dad always said that was a sure sign of Spring. Enjoy!
Someone else just mentioned red winged blackbirds re-appearing. Good news!
Your *Bed & Breakfast* sign must be able to be seen from high above the ground!! I believe they are starlings, too. They are messy, but the sight of their migration is a wonder. We live very close to the International Crane Foundation and the Sandhill Cranes are migrating. Those sightings are beautiful, too. We often see them stopping off in fields around here on what is the last leg of their trip.
Every day there really is something amazing if we only take a moment to look!
I remember that Foundation from when I was working at American Players Theatre in Spring Green, Chris.
Lovely! I heard the first robin this morning. Spring has sprung!
Oh good! I’m hearing more and more bird song around here, Paula.
We have blackbirds (crows? ravens?) that swarm each night, Claudia, throughout the Spring and Summer. They roost in the cemetery down the road at night, and every morning they waken and squawk and make their way up the hill in all directions; but at night they swarm together in large masses and gather in the trees so the branches are nearly black with them, and gradually, tree by tree, they make their way back to the burial ground. The first time I witnessed this it was truly startling (and very loud!) but also fascinating to watch. Almost as if they were keeping track of one another and making sure no one got left behind!
How neat! I’d love to see that!
It is a cool phenomenon. Something similar happens down here, in Florida. We see migratory columns of birds, sometimes for several miles, as far as you can see. They appear to be flying west from the Atlantic side inland, and kind of follow the Interstate. Going home, I guess…?! :)
I love seeing that. We have Canada Geese flying in formation around here all the time.
Happy Friday to you too Claudia! The birds in our oaks sing glouriously every morning now, so loud we can hear them over the hum of the a.c. sometimes. I’ve spotted a beautiful Cardinal at least three times so far. Carl and I are busy raking and bagging leqves and I’m pulling up some ferns near the edge of the house that had begun to make their own little jungle. I was so exhausted last night. I love this time of year but always try to do too much and then am sore for days afterward. Hope you have a wonderful weekend.
I can’t wait until I can begin cleanup outside, Janie. But too much snow is still out there and very, very soggy ground!
Great pics Claudia..Alfred himself couldn’t have done better..lol
I need to watch Rear Window again – my favorite Hitchcock!
Capturing “the birds” in black and white is perfection, Claudia.
Actually, Pat, I took them in color – this is just the way the sky and scenery looked late in the day!
I live in the Tampa Bay area of Florida and we have them, too., but not as many, perhaps a dozen or so that hang out in the tall trees behind our fence. They are very loud and sound like ducks. When I sit on my patio I feel like I am in the middle of the jungle! I much prefer the sweet songs of the smaller birds.
I like them all, Lana!
That happens in our neck of the woods too…I have to say It freaks me out a bit. I guess watching “The Birds” when I was way too young to watch such a movie left quite the impression on me! As usual I love your pictures Claudia.
Blessings, Joanne
I love to see the migration of birds. Hopefully this means that spring, for you, is close at hand, Claudia!
We have several migrations both down and back. Robins are one, and finches are another.. The finches are the most adorable. They, along with other birds, will perch on the shell of my fountain boy and revel in taking bath after bath. There was one who would hog the water and jump in several times! Cute as can be.
On You-tube there used to be the most beautiful video set to the music of John Michael Talbott’s “Lilies of the Field” and featuring nature scenes. It is glorious with his ethereal tenor voice. If I find a link, I will email it. One scene is thousands of birds in flight. My cousins got to see the mass migration of animals in Africa and said it was one of the most amazing moments in their lives!
xo
Sheila
Starlings will clean out a bird feeder faster than anything…They usually hang around for a couple of days..Not a fan..Funny, I think I have a post about them coming up next week..