With the year of the gathering bringing family and friends, long lost relatives and groups of people from all over the world back together taking place in Ireland this year, it would appear that our feathered friends have similar plans up their wings with huge number of birds been seen flocking together over the skies of County Laois. This is a gathering of course is another kind of gathering and it has been putting a smile on many an Irish heart over recent weeks.

Over the past month the town of Portarlington has been inundated with large number of birds who have been putting on some very impressive flying displays as they collect together in their thousands and move to the same rhythm. This is the first year that Portarlington has witnessed such a large number of birds but over recent years these displays have become more common with similar sightings in Graiguecullen to the south and Clonaslee to the North.

It is of course the Starlings and the large flocks which glide through the air which such ease is called a murmuration. These murmurations create beautiful displays that can even appear frightening due to the sheer number and size of the flock. They sometimes appear as swarms of locusts or huge dust clouds blowing and zig zagging across the sky.

The Reason for these large gatherings is still unclear with most research stating that it is a defensive mechanism. With thousands of small birds moving as one they appear bigger and more menacing. Also with the pattern of flight and the sudden change in direction across the sky the flock has the ability to confuse predators as it is never possible to know what is going to happen next.

Whatever the reason, these displays are magnificent. The down side is that, if you happen to live beneath theses murmurations you are going to need to have your car washed fairly regularly. Given that these birds have been flocking over Portarlingtion for the last 6 weeks now you can see why this particular gathering should has gone its separate ways some time ago.

For everyone else, not living in Laois you can still attract these birds into your garden by putting bird feeders and bird food out throughout the year. There is a wide range of bird foods available with high energy Fat Balls and Black Sunflower Seeds both being very effective at attracting them.

Other ways to attract birds into your garden include:

• Adding a bird bath
• Not using garden chemicals
• Planting a native hedgerow
• Planting berry trees and shrubs
• Adding a bird table
• Having a small pond
• Leaving dead slugs on your bird table