Photographer Captures The Beautiful Complexities Of Starling Murmurations

Watching birds in motion can imbue a sense of peace, freedom and respect for nature. The physics, beauty and balance involved may look rehearsed, but it is a marvellous display of the natural instincts of avians. 

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Dr. Cooper uses a refined version of chronophotography – a vintage 19th-century photographic technique popularly used in the study of motion during the Victorian era. This process has allowed her to visually capture the nuances of self-organized systems in nature. By layering the individual photos, Dr. Cooper was able to arrive at a superimposed image of the various flight paths established by the group showcasing the extraordinary level of organization involved. 

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Dr. Cooper’s background in physics and bioinformatics influenced her focus during her early career to study the structure and dynamics of networks. An aspect that has impacted her current body of work; a study of the complexities involved in the cooperative communication between flocking birds.

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In an essay regarding her observations of the unique aerial displays by starlings, Dr. Cooper discerned that when airborne, the birds acted in a highly coordinated way. In order to move with such synchronicity, the starlings observe a self-organised system. If one bird in a flock of hundreds or thousands of birds reacts to the presence of a predator, the bird will turn to avoid the danger, which is noticed by its neighbours, who in turn take similar evasive action. This influences more neighbouring birds to follow suit, creating a ripple effect that keeps the flock cohesive and adequately safe from impending danger.

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This fascinating method of passing information instantly from bird to bird, whether its a small group of six or whether it’s an entire flock of consisting of thousands, allows the birds to move efficiently in an instant. Despite these observations and findings, how the birds never directly interact but appear to work according to a ‘collective mind’, is a fascinating concept that remains a mystery to humans to this day.