SKYBOUND SHOALS! Tens of thousands of waders mimick shoals of fish as they flock together creating stunning murmurations in response to a peregrine. The birds were spotted flocking together above the waters at RSPB Snettisham, UK. Lester Bunyan said, “The flocks mainly consisting of Knot, Oystercatchers, Dunlin and Godwits all flocked together in these large displays. The high tides push them away from the water and if a Peregrine appears, all the birds explode from the mud flats in an effort to avoid being breakfast!” “The formations are very fluid much like Starling murmurations and are a way of trying to avoid predators such as the Peregrine. As I’m a volunteer at this site I get to see this a lot, but it's different each time which is why I keep going back to see it, it should be on everyone’s Bucket List.” Please byline: Lester Bunyan/Solent News © Lester Bunyan/Solent News & Photo Agency UK +44 (0) 2380 458800 *** Local Caption *** Story behind photos is that 10's of thousands of waders, mainly Knot, Oystercatchers,Dunlin and Godwits, arrive at The Wash and congregate in large flocks at RSPB Snettisham each Autumn/Winter. The high tides push them away from the water and if a Peregrine appears, as in photo 4, all the birds explode from the mud flats in an effort to avoid being breakfast! As i'm a volunteer at this site I get to see this a lot, but it's different each time which is why i keep going back to see it, it should be on everyones "Bucket List" The various birds form collective groups. This time of year these birds migrate into the Uk from breeding grounds in the Canadian Artic and the Baltic States The formations are very fluid much like Starling murmarations and are a way of trying to avoid predators such as the Pergrine.