On Christmas Eve 2018, while returning home along the highway outside Rome, I notice that a mesmerizing performance is taking place in the sky. Thousands and thousands of starlings are flying together, creating fascinating shapes at sunset. I take advantage of the nearest rest area and, with my Nikon D300s, I start shooting.
I mount the Tamron 90mm, a perhaps unusual choice for photographing flocks, but suitable for capturing the details of those movements. Each change in trajectory is coordinated, a collective effect that has a precise explanation: a predator is hunting.
The evolutions of the starlings are often a response to the presence of a peregrine falcon. The flock moves compactly, in an unpredictable manner, to confuse the predator; a useful strategy for survival. In some shots, you can see a slightly larger silhouette, isolated from the group: the hawk trying to catch a prey has been dodged.
The sky is the stage for a fascinating natural behavior. The synchronized movement of the birds, the interaction with the predator and the changing shapes of the flock make the moment ephemeral and wonderful.
The images cannot, unfortunately, transmit the light and enchanting sound of the rustling that the flocks produce. It is a spectacle that hypnotizes and surprises, a perfect demonstration of how nature manages to create beauty and harmony even in the mechanisms of survival.
