They flew like a stream of black bullets, shadowed against the darkening silver sky. Just as the sea-tide is pulled to and fro by the moon, the starlings swayed and curved above me. Thousands of them, each bird a separate etching in a charcoal coloured cloud of wings. As my car drew away from the traffic lights, smaller troops of starlings hurtled towards the main group. They appeared from no where, behind trees, over the roofs of houses, plummeting to join the crowd. Glancing around me I wanted to stop and shout through the window to the man obliviously walking the pavement beside me, or the businessman pulling away in the car behind mine. 'Look up there! Have you seen THAT!' But no one else saw and I carried on down the road.
One of the most important things I have learnt since working for the RSPB is the simple act of looking up. We all take the sky and the horizons for granted, but how often do you really notice what goes on up there? Don't get me wrong - I'm not talking hours spent gazing skyward, even though I do wish I had those hours in the day. It's more about including the space above you into your field of vision. It's the black-headed gulls floating on slim wings by the side of the road. It's the buzzard whirling in a downward spiral as it coasts the thermals over the fields. It's the straggling 'v' of pink-footed geese over the supermarket car park and the flocks of tits bouncing above the garden.
And I'm not alone. My friend, a dedicated sportswoman, was competing in a triathlon earlier in the year when her sky watching got the better of her. Running hard in the third leg of the competition she caught sight of two red kites wheeling overhead. All red-feathered shimmer and forked tails. Unfortunately, competitors heading homeward in the opposite direction had to dodge Erica; the girl gazing at the sky.
It seems bizarre to me now that I ever lived my life without being an observer of the skies. I must have missed so much over the years! It is second nature for me now and if it isn't already, it could be for you to. So take a look at what's above you this afternoon whilst you head out through the twisting country lanes or walk in to the city for your last few January sale must-haves. We can all be sky watchers and I promise you the sky won't let you down.
Why not have your very own wildlife experience at an RSPB reserve? For more information and places to visit near you go to www.rspb.org.uk/reserves
Author, Aggie Rothon featured in the Eastern Daily Press on the 16th January 2010.