Hi All
On my home last night after a late night poker session, I was distracted while on the M60 motorway by an enormous flock of birds flying overhead. They seemed to be circling and flying around in the same area. There were lots of them - definitely in the hundreds. They were also flying fairly low.
There were that many of them that the in the light from the road lights shining on their undersides they caused a really odd effect that sort of lit up the sky.
The problem I have is trying to work out what they were. Obviously i was driving, so couldn't get a sustained proper look at them, but the only thing i can liken them to is owls. They had pale undersides, possibly white / cream / grey with what looked like darker specks in the feathers. They had sort of roundish, plump looking bodies and average size wings (not gull shaped, definitely more owl shaped). As far as i am aware, owls are solitary, territorial birds so it is highly unlikely to have been owls - but i honestly can't think of anything else that would be flying at 3am in the pitch black at a fairly low altitude around the Manchester area.
If anyone has any suggestions, i'd be very grateful!
Cheers
Hi magic_hat
Welcome to the forum. I'm sure someone here will be able to answer your question, even without a photo.
I don't know much about birds as I'm still learning but could they have been Redwings? they have pale underbellies with rust-red flanks (which could be why the light from the headlamps was making an odd effect - possibly glowing?). Also they fly in at night. This is just a guess though.
Not sure why I posted actually as I don't have a clue especially if you are saying owl like so they are not going to be redwings are they .....sorry!
Regards
Kerry
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kezmo6310/
I wouldn't be to quick to dismiss your answer Kezmo, A disturbed roost of mixed/or not mixed thrush is more likely than Owl. As magic_hat was driving at the time, accurate description is unlikely and what we have makes little sense. With no photo, I would agree. Thrush flock, Redwing, Fieldfare, Mistle or Mixed, put up by fox or other disturbance is possible.
For viewing or photography right place right time is everything. I'd rather be in the right place with poor kit than have the best kit and be in the wrong place.
Hi Kezmo/John
I am inclined to agree with what you are saying here. It makes sense to me - it could be disturbed members of the Thrush family
As far as I know there is no such thing as a flock of Owls - it is not the way Owls behave in nature.
Kathy and Dave
M60? This is the Greater Manchester area.
The undersides of the birds could in reality have been any colour, even black, as the lights from the motorway would be shining on them and creating an illusion.
I am a beginner with birds, so have no answer, but could they even have been crows ??? I have no idea!!!
(I have had a couple of glasses of the red stuff, so maybe shouldn't even be replying to this!!!)
I'm sure someone will come up with the answer.
Cheers, Linda.
See my photos on Flickr
Hi Magic Hat, welcome to the forum.
Most birds can fly at night, but will only do so if necessary. The reason for this is that their eyes, like human eyes, they are not designed to see in night-time conditions. If a bird cannot see well, it risks injury by flying at night. Unless startled into flight by a predator, most birds will avoid leaving their night-time roost.
There are many birds that are nocturnal; which are active at night. They include owls, nightjars and whip-poor-wills, to name a few. Many other birds that you see around during the day will also fly at night. Geese will migrate at night and it’s not unusual to see large flocks of gulls either coming inland or going back to coastal roosts. You will never see hundreds of owls flying together, you may if you are lucky see a pair hunting together, or when adults are with juveniles. The maximum I have seen is five two adults with three juveniles.
Reading your description I can only assume that they were a large sized bird, Owl sized! This in my opinion would rule out the smaller thrushes, Redwing and Song Thrush. I would be more inclined to say Geese or Gull.
And as you mentioned that they were flying low I would go with Gulls!!!
Songbirds such as warblers, which are active during daylight hours, do fly at night during migration, when they must travel long distances. It is thought that these migrants fly at night because the air is cooler, so there is less chance of their overheating during the long, strenuous periods of flight. Most have already migrated.
Other birds fly around at night if a predator disturbs them, or if they are fooled by artificial light into thinking dawn is approaching.
If you live in the city it’s not uncommon to see birds like pigeons and starlings and crows flying at night.
Hope this Helps
Regards Buzzard
Nature Is Amazing - Let Us Keep It That Way
magic_hat said: Hi All On my home last night after a late night poker session, I was distracted while on the M60 motorway by an enormous flock of birds flying overhead. They seemed to be circling and flying around in the same area. There were lots of them - definitely in the hundreds. They were also flying fairly low. There were that many of them that the in the light from the road lights shining on their undersides they caused a really odd effect that sort of lit up the sky. The problem I have is trying to work out what they were. Obviously i was driving, so couldn't get a sustained proper look at them, but the only thing i can liken them to is owls. They had pale undersides, possibly white / cream / grey with what looked like darker specks in the feathers. They had sort of roundish, plump looking bodies and average size wings (not gull shaped, definitely more owl shaped). As far as i am aware, owls are solitary, territorial birds so it is highly unlikely to have been owls - but i honestly can't think of anything else that would be flying at 3am in the pitch black at a fairly low altitude around the Manchester area. If anyone has any suggestions, i'd be very grateful! Cheers
Flock of lapwing?
My moneys on Gulls.
I remember many, many, many years ago on the way back from France on the overnight ferry, I was on deck trying not to throw up and I saw a lot of Starlings flying in/out of the lights on all around the ship, some stayed perched, and some flew along side following the ferry back to Blighty.
I though we where under attack from Bats.
I had also thought of lapwing. A few weeks ago at the River Lune estuary off Morecambe Bay I watched a massive flock of lapwing (and I mean massive - thousands of them). It wasn't dark, but they reminded me of exploding fireworks in the sky, with large groups splintering off then re-joining, and they shone like silver when they twisted, then back to black again.
I think you should go back out tonight at the same time and sit and wait lol.
If you're thinking owl size I'd be inclined also to go with gulls, guess we'll never know
Hmm. think I'd go with the lapwing theory too - they are about the right size and their wings have that sort of rounded look like owls - and they flock!
Intriguing!
Make the boy interested in natural history if you can; it is better than games [Robert Falcon Scott]