Magical Murmurations

These fantastical phenomena are pretty much my favorite things ever.

(The following video, which inspired today’s outburst, comes with a 1080p HD option. Take it. And full-screen would surely not be amiss. Volume? That’s up to you. I’m not a huge fan of the music, but YMMV.)

This particularly mesmerizing murmuration clip comes from Alpaca Media’s Art Director and Cameraman, Roald Van Stijn, the creative mind behind Pyropix, the YouTube account hosting the above video. (Alpaca’s Vimeo page features the similar-yet-still-breathtaking “Starlings in Slo-Motion.” Checketh it out, as well.)

Murmurations always make me think of bait balls, for some reason. I think because they seem to be “moving as one” despite being composed of a tremendous number of parts. Almost like a hive mind, except not scary.

Attribution(s): “Hitchcock’s Worst Nightmare” provided by Shutterstock.