Starling murmurations Brighton pier

Brighton is one of the more commonly known places to go to watch Starling murmurations.

Of course, the murmurations vary each day and it is luck as to whether you catch a large murmuration or not. It can depend on the weather, in particular the wind.

The background also plays a part. Having a gorgeous orange sunset really shows up the black twists and turns of the murmuration.

This was the first time I’ve witnessed a murmuration over the sea and having the waves crashing in the background certainly made it feel different.

It isn’t the same as Otmoor or Ham Wall where the huge numbers of starlings sound like an aeroplane passing overhead, and I’m not sure how the numbers compare but at Brighton there seemed to be 3 or 4 separate murmurations going on simultaneously rather than one massive one.

The first couple of photos were taken from standing on the groyne between the two piers

 

 

 

 

After half of the starlings had roosted, a smaller number continued to murmurate. The next couple of photos were taken from under the pier itself.

 

This is where the starlings finally roost, up under the pier.