A canoe trip turned into an experience of a lifetime for two women who encountered a murmuration of starlings, unlike anything you’ve probably ever seen before!
Liberty Smith and Sophie Windsor Clive were canoeing on the River Shannon Ireland one evening when they witnessed one of nature’s most interesting phenomena. Thousands of starlings moved together in magnificent fashion.
It’s absolutely amazing to see these birds fly and move in sync in different formations. This is called a murmuration. The thousands of birds fly in swooping, intricately coordinated patterns through the sky.
Murmurations often involve hundreds of birds, but these women witnessed and recorded thousands of them flying in awe-inspiring patterns. It’s hard to imagine how these birds know precisely when their neighbors are going to move. Somehow, it all comes together and it’s inspiring to watch.
This remarkable video can be viewed below. It is so beautiful to see nature in this manner. It is like a treat from God. At some points, it’s almost as if these women could reach out and touch the birds.
It is wonderful to see these women’s reactions to this incredible event. You can literally hear their breath being taken away with excitement and awe. The moment at the end, when they acknowledge the experience they have just shared shows a very beautiful moment of human connection rarely seen in the selfie era. This video does a great job of capturing this stunning, breathtaking natural phenomenon.
It’s amazing to watch these birds dance together in coordinated flight at dusk above the largest river in Ireland. What an absolute treat to witness!
Clive and Smith also shared an unedited video of the murmuration. You can hear their raw reactions as they watch thousands of starlings fly overheard. That video is below.
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