STAR-TI-LING: 40,000 STARLINGS MIMIC HITCHCOCK'S THE BIRDS- This could be the fearsome scene from Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds as a flock of 40,000 starlings bask in the heat of a wonderful British sunset. The extraordinary light and shadows echoes the 1960s hit film as huge numbers of the birds appear ready to descend and attack earth below. Fortunately it was actually a far more peaceful setting on Brighton Pier as the amazing murmuration of the birds gathered around the coastline of the seaside resort. They swooped around in the winter sun in February this year, as captured by Hove based photographer Alan Mackenzie. He said despite the large numbers of birds, they have dramatically dwindled in recent decades.Alan, 32, said: "Moments like this make me proud to live on such a beautiful planet and appreciative of the fact that, as a human living in the modern world, I am privileged enough to observe it all
DIPPING his head into the vase of water, this little squirrel takes a refreshing break from an afternoon of eating .
BALANCING 30 metres above ground, these slackliners take the expression of living dangerously one step further, by tightrope walking NAKED .
LIKE A living balloon this baitball of sardines is ready to burst when threatened by a pointy nosed sailfish .
YOU’VE heard of the northern lights now feast your eyes on the natural wonder of the SOUTHERN lights .
A frilled lizard appears to be belting out a tune as it sits in a tree with its mouth open wide .
A little brown bear cub shows his doting mum that she is always on parent duty as he uses her as a scratching post .
It’s a role reversal in the Visayan Sea as HUNDREDS of tiny, glistening eggs are carried around inside the mouth of their cardinalfish father .
15-foot-long great white sharks on the hunt, in False Bay, South Africa - SHOCK and awe pictures of 15-foot-long great whites on the hunt will leave you stunned .
LUMINOUS green rocks could easily be a beach from Superman's homeland of Krypton .
A pair of chicks bravely decided to befriend a python, despite being the snake's favourite choice of food .
This hungry white tiger has just one thing on her mind - to taste fresh meat .
A young orangutan comes over all shy as she hides her face behind a broken bucket .