Bird of prey attacks 'mesmerising' murmuration

A bird of prey looking for an easy meal was caught on film flying into a murmuration of thousands of starlings.

Footage captured by bird watchers at Attenborough Nature Reserve, Nottinghamshire, shows starlings forming shapes in the sky to avoid being picked off by either a sparrowhawk or peregrine falcon.

However, Tim Sexton, assistant manager at the centre, said the predators were rarely successful within the "mesmerising flock".

He said while there were about 10,000 starlings currently roosting at the site, that number would increase in December, along with human visitors.