Hare-raising! Perfectly timed picture captures the moment a murmuration of starlings took the form of a RABBIT
- Murmurating starlings seen taking form of a hare or rabbit head in the night sky
- Natasha Weyers captured the moment the starlings formed the rabbit at dusk
- Photographer saw formation in Fishlake Meadows Nature Reserve in Hampshire
- Starlings group together as a form of safety from birds of prey before roosting
This perfectly-timed pictures captured the moment a flock of birds formed the shape of a rabbit in the air.
The group of starlings were seen flying in the unique swirl in the night sky at dusk.
Starlings were murmurating - a swooping mass of thousands of birds whirling in the sky - in the shape of a hare or rabbit head at Fishlake Meadows Nature Reserve in Romsey, Hampshire.
The starlings grouped together as a form of safety from birds of prey before they roost for the night in the water reeds, usually in the winter and autumn evenings.
It is often described as one of nature's most spectacular displays and every time they group together the birds form different shapes and put on their unique show.
Starlings murmurating in the shape of a hare or rabbit head at Fishlake Meadows Nature Reserve in Romsey, Hampshire this week
Photographer Natasha Weyers captured the moment the starlings formed the rabbit head between 3.45pm and 4pm on Monday.
She said that the photo attracted comparisons with the Richard Adams novel about a group of rabbits, Watership Down, which was adapted into a film in 1978 and was remade for the festive period this year featuring James McAvoy and John Boyega.
Natasha added: 'I was delighted to see that I had captured the birds in the shape of a Hare or Rabbit head as I love to photograph wildlife and in particular, Hares.
An image of a hare taken earlier this year which shows the shape the starlings formed
'When I posted the photo on Facebook, many people commented on how it reminded them of Watership Down which is on TV this Christmas.'
It is believed starlings gather in such large numbers in order to deter predators, such as peregrine falcons.
Last month another photographer captured a similar formation near Gretna in Scotland on his mobile phone.
The starlings appeared to simultaneously form the shape of both a rabbit and a duck, mimicking a famous shaped the birds also created in 1892.
Formations of a giant hedgehog have also been spotted in Dumfriesshire in November, while others have been seen in Cumbria and Brighton, East Sussex.
The RSPB say the grouping together offers safety in numbers as predators such as find it hard to target one bird in the middle of a hypnotising flock of thousands.
They also gather to keep warm at night and to exchange information, such as good feeding areas, the charity says.
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