IT'S not every day you get to see one of nature's most dazzling wildlife spectacles without having to travel to a distant nature reserve or coastal resort.
But this week's picture focus captures a spectacular starling murmuration over Tring, a lot closer to home than some of the more famous locations for such displays.
DAZZLING DISPLAY: starlings over Tring PICTURE: Lesley Tilson
Lesley Tilson's mesmerising shots capture the drama of the swoops and swirls against the evening sky in a constantly shifting pattern.
Murmurations happen across the UK from the Somerset levels to Brighton pier, from the Nortfolk fens to wetland nature reserves, and occur between November and February when flocks are boosted by migrant visitors from colder climes.
HOME TO ROOST: starlings swoop and swirl PICTURE: Lesley Tilson
Scientists think they offer safety in numbers from predators but are still not completely sure how each bird knows which way to turn without bumping into the others.
Murmurations form over the birds' communal roosting sites as the number of birds reaches its peak and the last of the daylight begins to fade.
SAFETY IN NUMBERS: the joy of homecoming PICTURE: Lesley Tilson
It's a sight which has captivated artists too, like Oxfordshire artist Sue Side, whose work is often inspired by local landscapes and who became fascinated by the behaviour of starling flocks as they settle in their treetop roosts at RSPB Otmoor Nature Reserve.
"It is only close up you see the pattern, the purpose and togetherness of these starling flocks," she says. "A little like family, a starling murmuration is a story of protection, sharing, gossiping and the joy of homecoming on darker winter days."
TIME TO REST: flocks prepare to roost PICTURE: Lesley Tilson
Lesley's pictures certainly capture the drama and astonishing fluidity of those aerial displays, when an unspoken signal seems to tell the group to funnel towards the ground with one last sweeping motion and calming whoosh of wings.
"They are reducing in numbers now but Startops car park is the best view, so worth a visit," she says.
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