The Black Sun phenomenon
I remember once we were going back from vacation. We wanted to make a break from the road trip. We stopped the car near a small wood. Walked a little, lighted cigarettes. I don’t think we had our soccer ball with us that day. But then we suddenly looked up the sky: hundreds of birds had gathered at that very same spot. They were probably meeting after every each of them had a long, long journey and they were dancing of joy.
I remember it was one of the most beautiful and exceptional thing I’ve ever seen since the northern lights.
This phenomenon is typical of the starling and is referred as The Black Sun. Wikipedia says:
Huge flocks of more than a million Starlings are observed just before sunset in spring in southwestern Jutland, Denmark. There they gather in March until northern Scandinavian birds leave for their breeding ranges by mid-April. Their flocking creates complex shapes against the sky, a phenomenon known locally as sorta sol (”Black Sun”). To witness this spectacle, the best place are the seaward marshlands (marsken in Danish) of Tønder and Esbjerg municipalities between Tønder and Ribe.
Here’s a video showing the phenomenon, this time in Brighton, England.
Thanks Zé.
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