Murmuration is a word usually associated with Starlings, as far as I knew at any rate. But yesterday evening it came to mind immediately as hundreds of Jackdaws swirled in the skies above, presumably on their way to their roost for the night from their various local territories, one of which, for six or seven of them, is my garden. It was extremely noisy. They get through a phenomenal (and expensive) quantity of the food I put out, whilst the clever Wood Pigeons wait on the ground for the Jackdaws to dislodge the seed from the feeder.
Apparently Jackdaws decide collectively and democratically when to return to the roost and when to leave in the morning, calling until a certain crescendo is reached.
When the Jackdaws are not around the smaller birds have plenty of opportunity to eat what they need. With all the juveniles around now, there is non-stop action. The Dunnocks, however, will happily feed, from the ground, whether the Jackdaws are there or not. Ah, the adult woodpecker is back again right now. He or she is very punctual.
We are only beginning to understand the phenomenon of murmurations but it is thought that birds make tiny adjustments according to the speed and direction of their immediate neighbours in the flock.
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