A murmuration of starlings

Here are some more thoughts and paintings by artist Louise McClary, alongside a poem by John Clare and short film…

‘We are I know really in the clutches of winter, now but it seems to me that the birds are still doing their autumn thing. Crossing ‘pelaggo’ field at dusk its like the rooks and black birds come to zip up the sky.. and the starlings… the starlings… at four yesterday evening there were hundreds above my head , they are enjoying the grain left in the stubble field from harvest time, it has to be THE most incredible sight, a ‘murmuration’ is what it is called when they make those wonderful shapes in the sky ..

John Clare called the starling a “sturnal ” which is rather fantastic I think… His poem autumn birds says it all …’

Autumn Birds
The wild duck startles like a sudden thought,
And heron slow as if it might be caught.
The flopping crows on weary wings go by
And grey beard jackdaws noising as they fly.
The crowds of starnels whizz and hurry by,
And darken like a clod the evening sky.
The larks like thunder rise and suthy round,
Then drop and nestle in the stubble ground.
The wild swan hurries hight and noises loud
With white neck peering to the evening cloud.
The weary rooks to distant woods are gone.
With lengths of tail the magpie winnows on
To neighbouring tree, and leaves the distant crow
While small birds nestle in the edge below.

John Clare

‘I am longing to be out with my water colours but I fear I would become frozen solid to my favourite field.. these few were done just before the weather turned… all in Pelaggo field, because I am completely in love with this field. It is never the same, every day brings a different light or atmosphere and depending on what is happening with either the crop or animal “traffic ” it changes it…’

Here’s a short film of a murmaration of birds as Louise had written about… I like the story of the 2 girls in the canoe followed by some beautiful footage…