Goodnight Winter


Goodnight frosty mornings and severe weather warnings. Goodnight mud and flash floods. Goodnight snow and turbulent flows. Goodnight rain; come again soon. Goodnight ice and goodnight cold air. Goodnight, winter everywhere.

Kingston Ridge

Beech tree, Stanmer Down

Riding, Stanmer Down

Birling Gap and Seven Sisters

Starlings

Roe deer

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The Beautiful Starling Murmurations at Brighton Pier

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Every winter, starlings escaping the harsh Scandinavian winter migrate to the British Isles and other mild European countries. Starlings feed in gardens and farmland in the daytime and gather in huge groups called murmurations over Brighton Pier in late afternoon.  Murmurations are thought to serve a number of purposes. Firstly, they are a defensive strategy against birds of prey; each starling monitors and shadows seven of its neighbours and this leads to murmurations adopting a typical fluid movement. Should a predatory bird attempt to intercept a murmuration, each starling in its path will automatically move aside, allowing the adversary to pass straight through. Flying in murmurations generates body heat and the collective warmth of bodies acts as a giant radiator when the starlings roost. Competition for the most sheltered places to roost is fierce and dominant males get first preference. Females and juveniles have to sleep in more exposed spots. Although migrant starling...
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