Falcon captured hunting during starling murmuration in Chester
"Breathtaking" footage of what was believed to be a peregrine falcon attempting to hunt during a murmuration of thousands of Starlings has been captured on video.One of the wildlife experts who filmed the phenomenon said it was even more spectacular as it was above a "built up urban area" in Upton, Cheshire, close to Chester Zoo.Alex Cunningham, who is schools engagement officer at the zoo, went with his colleague Mayukh Chatterjee in the hope of seeing the display after hearing about it. He said it was "incredible" to watch it with residents on an "everyday street". "The cherry on the cake was the sky. It was a stunning canvas of pink and blue illuminating the spectacular."
Sarah Vickers who lives on Caughall Road said she has lived in Upton almost all of her life and does not recall ever seeing a murmuration so close.The 59-year-old said she was thrilled to see the display from her doorstep last week."I never expected to see that here," she said, adding "so near surburbia"."I was so pleased. It is amazing how the birds don't collide."Mr Cunningham said: "You really are seeing one of nature's amazing spectacles right in front of your eyes." He said he is thrilled he can show the footage to the students he works with to "demonstrate that amazing wildlife can be found right on your doorstep"."It's very accessible - and we captured it on a mobile phone," he said.The only downside for residents, though, he said was many of their vehicles were covered in bird "poo".Ruby Merriman, who is estate biodiversity manager at Chester Zoo, said the starlings will likely have been feeding on its habitats such as reed beds, wetlands and woodlands."The murmuration was so close to our estate, closer than ever and hopefully with our big plans to improve our habitats even more I am hoping they will be over the zoo in the future," she said.
The 33-year-old said: "It is one of the wonders of the natural world."It is one of the best spectacles we can see in the UK. Their agility and ability to avoid predators is breathtaking."She said the dominate theory behind murmurations is for the birds to avoid predators as they come to roost with "safety in numbers" by joining up in tight knit groups.Ms Merriman said the video appeared to show the starlings had been successful as the peregrine falcon was not seen to get any of the birds.
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