This brief footage is absolutely extraordinary. I’ve seen small flocks of starlings doing this before but nothing like this.
The murmuration begins at around 26 seconds but I was also fascinated by the fact that these two women are canoeing in the weather and through the terrain that they are. I’ve almost always experienced the most wonder and awe…seen the most unusual, even miraculous, things…when I’m out in inclement weather, or twilight or dark, or intense cold, or in other conditions that keep most people away.
I’m not sure why that is actually. Kind of curious.
Anyway, if you have two minutes, watch and marvel. It’s truly something to behold.
The Odd and Unmentionable 
I just love the things animals do that most of us don’t have a clue about. Starlings are so remarkable. We don’t have big flocks of them where I live, there are scattered pairs here and there. This year one pair was determined to nest in our dryer vent, they figured out how to open the flap. We finally had to tape it shut the second time they crammed a foot of twigs into it. I’ve heard rehabbers who have raised baby starlings talk about how clever they are.
I think a lot of people regard them as a real pest…kind of like rats…but I’ve always been fascinated. I love the smart ones; crows, magpies, starlings. My grandmother kept a disabled raven once that used to sit on her back porch and bark just to stir up all the neighborhood dogs.