Stunning Murmuration Continues To Grow Above Melton

Residents of Melton will have noticed a breath taking nature aerial stunt in the skies of Melton in recent days.

Thousands of birds have been murmurating over Melton Town Centre adding a special view to the evening sky, even if local paths and cars are the casualty of such a phenomenon.

Thousands of birds appear in the Melton sky. Photo: NEMM.

The RSPB say: "We think that starlings do it for many reasons. Grouping together offers safety in numbers – predators such as peregrine falcons find it hard to target one bird in the middle of a hypnotising flock of thousands. They also gather to keep warm at night and to exchange information, such as good feeding areas. They gather over their roosting site, and perform their wheeling stunts before they roost for the night."

The murmuration starts around 5pm each evening over the Saxby Road/Thorpe End area of the town and sees thousands of birds take to the skies and perform swoops and dives over the town before settling down for the night a short while later.

Thousands of birds showing off to Melton residents. Photo: NEMM.

The starling population has fallen by more than 80 per cent in recent years, meaning they are now on the critical list of UK birds most at risk. The decline is believed to be due to the loss of permanent pasture, increased use of farm chemicals and a shortage of food and nesting sites in many parts of the UK.