Feathery Skies #SkywatchFriday

Monday, where I live in the Southern Tier, we had nice feathery skies.

At my work lunch (still working from home) we took a walk.

I took some photos.

I thought "this will be great for Skywatch!" I took another photo and then put my phone in my purse.   Finished.

I had seen some birds flying but I paid little attention to it.

Suddenly, there were hundreds of birds, and I knew what was happening.

As I blogged about yesterday, I was witnessing a murmuration.

Those little dots are starlings.  Starlings can form large flocks of over a thousand birds.  Close to sundown, especially in November, they will all take off at once and create formations in the sky, beautiful to see.  This is called a murmuration. The birds fly in formation, and will change directions instantly on an unheard command. How none of these birds crash into each other in those sudden directional challenges is still a mystery to scientists.   The patterns are breathtaking and the performance can go on for several minutes.

This one didn't, but still...my mouth may have been hanging open.

But it wasn't time. It was September.  Still, there was no mistaking what was happening.  I stopped, and rummaged around in my phone, just in time to take a picture of the tail end of the murmuration.

The starlings perched in several trees, clustered and then flew away.

The performance was over, and I had to get back to work.

Joining with Yogi and other skywatchers for #SkywatchFriday.