Video : Amazing starling murmuration swoops across Thatcham skyline

Thousands of starlings flew over Thatcham Reedbed tonight (Saturday) to create one of the most fascinating sights in nature.

At around 3.50pm a few birds appeared and within 20 minutes the sky was full of starlings creating a swirl of patterns, then with a final flourish they were gone.

According to the RSPB, starlings create this phenomenon 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."

Watch the video and photos of the starling murmuration over Thatcham Reedbed below.

Pictures and Video by Phil and Noah Cannings