
Starling Murmuration
It’s that time of year again - when leaves, blown in freshening winds, swirl and dance; lighting up dark corners with their vivid colours, patterning our streets and hidden paths - before melding into uniformity ...
leaves fall -
autumn’s colours
blown away
In sheltered spots the sun still warms our backs, while thoughts turn to bonfires and evenings by the fireside; chill north easterlies bring the first Redwing and Starling from Scandinavia. Our resident starling jostle to join them forming small flocks which towards the end of the month gather together in huge roosts ...
smoke drifts
from chimney pots ...
starling gather
I have quoted the following passage by Richard Jefferies before but it is so perfect in description that I make no apologies for including it again here.
[…] In the thick foliage of this belt of firs the starlings love to roost. If you should be passing along any road—east, north, west, or south —a mile or two distant, as the sun is sinking and evening approaching, suddenly there will come a rushing sound in the air overhead: it is a flock of starlings flying in their determined manner straight for the distant copse. From every direction these flocks converge upon it: some large, some composed only of a dozen birds, but all with the same intent. Viewed from a spot three or four fields away, the copse in the evening seems to be overhung by a long dark cloud like a bar of mist, while the sky is clear and no dew is yet risen.
The resemblance to a cloud is so perfect that any one—not thinking of such things—may for the time be deceived, and wonder why a cloud should descend and rest over that particular spot. Suddenly, the two ends of the extended black bar contract, and the middle swoops down in the shape of an inverted cone, much resembling a waterspout, and in a few seconds the cloud pours itself into the trees. Another minute and a black streak shoots upwards, spreads like smoke, parts in two, and wheels round back into the firs again. On approaching it this apparent cloud is found to consist of thousands of starlings, the noise of whose calling to each other is indescribable—the country folk call it a “ charm,” [murmuration] meaning a noise made up of innumerable lesser sounds, each interfering with the other.[…]
wave after wave
the sound of pebbles
in the backwash
Credits
Wild Life in a Southern County 1879 Richard Jefferies
The header painting - Sky Art in Nobber, County Meath, is by Eoin Mac Lochlainn, and is featured here with permission.
Eoin is an award winning, practicing, Irish visual artist who also writes a stunning blog about his interests, his inspirations, some stories about the art scene in Ireland, and other musings ...
Super Video
Thanks Werner! There’s lots of YouTube videos about Starling Murmuration but I liked this one because I felt it and my haiku complemented each other pretty well …
Clive, these are wonderful verses. I just love the 2nd one! As a child my brother and I had the bedroom at the top of the house and the window looked out onto the second storey and its chimney pots! Starlings would always gather there and ‘sing’, well you know what they’re like, they just chattered and whistled and blew raspberries! Also, thanks for the link to Eoin MacLochlainn. Check you email this weekend, I’m sending a message. Have a great weekend!
Thanks Ashley! One of my earliest memories as a child was the sounds and sight of Starling on the chimney pots. I still have a soft spot for them (despite their sometimes bullying nature). You too have a good weekend.
Wonderful and such an incredible capture of those amazing birds.
They really are rather engaging birds. And their murmurations are awesome!
This is really beautifully done.
Thank you. I often feel writing prose and haiku must be like writing about an exceptionally fine wine!
I love your combination of prose with haiku (haibun). The painting and video are especially stunning! Thanks for sharing all of this with us! If you would like to display one of your haiku in my Hokku Garden, please contact me. I would love it!
Would this suit …
Smoke drifts,
From chimney pots –
Starling gather.
Again I’m not sure of the punctuation in this unique form. Please feel free to amend it before posting.
An earlier reply doesn’t seem to have posted – sorry! Here it is again …
Any of the three would be good but I prefer this one:
Smoke drifts,
From chimney pots …
Starling gather.
Though this one works well too:
Leaves fall –
Autumn’s colours,
Blown away!
This passage by Richard Jefferies reminds me of his delightful description in ‘January in the Sussex woods’ of rooks settling into their roost at night. First much noise and excitement, then silence as darkness deepens in the wood. Both starlings and rooks know how to end the day well!
Thank you for reminding me of one of my favourite passages Richard. The last couple of sentences describe the coming of night to the woods perfectly “There rises a loud though distant clamour of Rook and ‘Daws, who have restlessly moved in their roost-trees. Darkness is almost on them, yet they cannot quite settle. The cawing and dawing rises to a pitch, and then declines; the wood is silent, and it is suddenly night.”
A charm of starlings. Loved to read again those words from Jeffries and also your tight gems of description. It is an amazing sight. And to have it close by – astonishing performance. Richard Wilbur gets it right too. This rom his poem “Event” –
As if a cast of grain leapt back to the hand,
A landscapeful of small black birds, intent
On the far south, convene at some command
At once in the middle of the air, at once are gone
With headlong and unanimous consent
From the pale trees and fields they settled on.
What is an individual thing? They roll
Like a drunken fingerprint across the sky!
Thanks Josie! Richard’s poem is itself a gem and beautiful description of starling Murmuration – he really nailed it.
Beautiful words Clive – you really evoke this wonderful season.
Probably my favourite time of year Andrea. So much going on – so much energy and change. I love it!
[…] is a link to Clive Bennett’s beautiful post and haiku watching the Starling murmuration which is seasonal now, including a […]
Hello Clive, I posted this on my gene keys website. The murmurations are so inspiring and I love your quote from Richard Jeffries
Lovely to hear from you Jane. Thank you for your kind words and inclusion in your Gene Keys website (post). And what a post – to have that vision and understanding is … is well beyond words, I’m humbled. Thank you.