Murmuration

One of the projects I've been working on involves the swarming murmurations of starlings that roost in Rome. One of the major roosting areas is in the EUR, on the sourthern outskirts of the city.

Before I came to Rome, I'd been talking to a fellow about the swarms of starlings which migrate through north Texas, and was planning a trip when I got back. So, I was pretty excited that Rome has it's own murmurations.

A month or so ago, Richard Barnes, a photographer who was here a couple years ago, did a big project with the starlings, and was kind enough to show me one of their homes in the EUR.

The EUR was created by Mussolini in the late 30s/early 40s and planned to open in '42 to celebrate 20 years of Italian fascism at the World's Fair. Certain events prevented Mussolini from realizing this dream, but we're left with this strange, coldly geometric fascist architecture development.

Watching the swirling organic forms undulate over this setting is part of the magic of the experience.

In these photos, every single gray spec is actually a bird. I have no idea how many of them there are. I would guess in the hundreds of thousands, perhaps in the millions.

The forms are created as a reaction to predatory hawks. Every once in a while, you get to see a hawk chase and catch a starling. Though it's much rarer than you'd expect; especially given the odds. Each day, the formations and where they form is different, depending on the weather, the number of hawks, and other variables.

Check out the first set of photos to get a taste, and the second (larger) set if you're into it.