Bird (Starlings) Migration Mentor Ohio

This is a video that I shot in 1992 of an annual migration of birds (starlings?) in the Mentor, Ohio area. Each year, in late October/early November, these birds fly north as the sun is setting, and south when the sun is rising. As each day passes, and as they make another cycle, more and more birds accumulate in the group. And on one fall day, the birds make their southerly trek in one massive group and just keep going!

This video was probably one of the last trips the birds made that year. I couldn't even estimate the number of birds that were in that flock. This video is only about 4 minutes long, but I recall that evening watching the birds fly in a continuous string for over 30 minutes.

I have never been able to find out where these birds actually go in the morning and evening, but I assume that their trip north is to the Mentor Marsh area. There have been a few fires there since this video was taken, which seems to have reduced the number of birds in subsequent years. But there are still huge numbers that make the trip each year.

Sorry for some "shaky cam" (I had to move quick in some cases to keep up with their movements). Also, the video clarity in some shots is reduced on this site for some reason.

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http://chriszimmer.blogspot.com/

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Bird
• Migration
• Starlings
• Migrating
• Birds
• Mentor
• Lake
• County
• Ohio

[cbutterb]

Gorgeous... I guess passenger pigeon migrations in the western states used to be like that, except bigger.

What pice of music is that?

[chrisazimmer]

It is from The Concerto #3 for Piano, Op26, by Sergei Prokofiev.

[BlaiddDrwg2009]

It is so cool when they arrive. The sky is empty one minute then full of starlings the next!! I just love it when you see a poor pigeon caught up in the middle of it!

[0clocks0]

I JUST SAW THIS OUTSIDE MY DORM! That's what brought me to look it up! It was so awesome I took a video on my phone for like 15 minutes.

[quns25]

why do they migrate clockwise first season and anticlockwise next season?

[BestObamaVideos]

I think you have too much free time on your hands

[TiffanyJuliet]

Wow this is nice.