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
LYING flat out on his back, this little meerkat makes the most of the English sunshine .
A pair of adorable polar bear cubs play-fight with each other in the Alaskan snow .
From vibrant blues to dazzling oranges, these eye catching hummingbirds proudly show off their impressive colours .
These photographs of extreme weather capture storms furiously rolling across the sky above America .
An Australian explorer has travelled the globe with a toy pig, known as Travel Piggy, in search of a missing cuddly companion .
The beds are consumed by moss instead of customers at this abandoned hotel .
MOUTH OPEN wide, this little stoat appears to be in mid-song as he belts out a tune for his onlookers .
What lies beneath this building site? Britain's great hope of winning the pre-WW2 arms race against Nazi Germany .
RACING through the mountain range on horseback, the Kazakh people practice their ancient tradition of hunting with golden eagles .
Fishermen in Myanmar have perfected an unusual fishing technique by carefully balancing on one leg .
SNOWBOARDING in your £2,000 wedding dress sounds like a nightmare for most brides .
From foster care to the MAGICAL world of cosplay, a young girl’s dreams become reality after being adopted by a photography loving couple .