A shocked woman watched as over 100 ravenous starlings menacingly descended on her garden in a scene similar to Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds.
Danielle Piggott was in disbelief when the huge flock suddenly swarmed her bird feeders.
The 40-year-old had been observing birds for months on her Ring camera.
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Her bird feeders usually attract around 15 birds a day, but on Tues (18 Nov), more than 100 fought over the food.
“The starlings and magpies have learnt the sound of me opening the shed and will gather on the surrounding rooftops waiting for me to finish and go inside.” Danielle, of Derby, said.
“On this day, I barely closed the back door before they all swarmed over.
“Usually it’s only 10 to 15 starlings, but on that day there must have been at least 100.
Danielle says she finds the bird’s parenting style fascinating, as reported by What’s The Jam.
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She said: “It looks cruel as they refuse to feed them and will peck them away if they’re begging, but will give them room to eat themselves.
“I love all wildlife, life, but living in a new build area means that we have destroyed their homes to build. The only wildlife I’ll get in my garden is birds, so I’ve made every attempt to welcome them into my garden, and I love watching them.
“The magpies that visit my garden are hilarious, they tap on my back door or perch on the fence and squawk if I’m late with feeding in the morning or the feeders are empty.”
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A Ring spokesperson said, “She got the ultimate front-row seat to the spectacle.
“What started as a regular day in her garden turned into a scene straight out of The Birds, as a massive flock of starlings and a few cheeky magpies swarmed her bird feeders.”
A Derbyshire Wildlife Trust spokesperson added, “In autumn and winter, starlings flock together to roost and forage and will sometimes visit gardens to feed, taking suet, seeds, and other food left out by homeowners.
“Tarling flocks in winter can number many thousands of birds, but their population has declined by as much as 80% since the 1970s, and they are now included on the UK Red List of Birds of Conservation Concern.”
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