Dancing In The Dark

[Knight of Albion]

This was shown on BBC's 'Winterwatch' programme last night and apparently it is the first time such an event has ever been caught on camera.

Knots are a European wading bird and they often engage in massed flight in formation (known as 'murmuration').

This has only been recorded previously during the hours of daylight. On this occasion, a BBC Natural History film crew, armed with military grade infra-red camera equipment, set out to film these charming birds during the hours of darkness.

In this clip, thousands of Knots are feeding on the mud flats. The incoming tide comes in more quickly than expected and takes them by surprise. Their response - they take off and almost immediately form a murmuration.

Remember, it's night time and pitch black, and the birds here are in full flight i.e. travelling at speed. And you'll notice that the twists and turns of their aerial 'dance' are pronounced. How they avoid colliding with each other is a mystery.

Astonishing footage ...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02hbm1l

[Tobi]

This is absolutely spectacular! Is it by eyesight....or by some other sense entirely, that they can do this? Remarkable filming too.

[Catherine]

Thank-you for posting that. Absolutely amazing. I don't know how the birds do it, but it is incredible to watch them. I have never seen a murmuration here in Canada so maybe our birds don't act that way.

It must feel awesome to stand there and watch birds flying like that. At night it is beyond awesome. I am glad they used the technology to view something beautiful. It is so often only used for combat situations.