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
BURSTING colours of reds, pinks and purples give the illusion of a collection of stunning flowers .
DIVING down at a speed of 75mph, this is the moment a hungry osprey caught his prey .
This longhorn beetle demon-strates a dark side as it looks just like the devil .
A Romanian photographer has captured the unique patterns of hundreds of human eyes in a series of striking macro shots .
SWIMMING next to 40 tonne whales, dare-devil divers take the plunge with these gentle giants of the sea .
Throwing their arms up in the air, these energetic squirrels play a game of ball with a walnut .
Balanced on one leg, a frog assumes the crane kick martial arts stance made famous in the movie The Karate Kid .
Clinging on to their furry backs, mischievous monkeys appeared to enjoy the free transport as they rode around on a perturbed Capybara .
A small Indian monkey is seemingly gob-smacked after reading the latest stock market news .
A cheeky gorilla sticks her tongue out and plays up for the camera at Bronx Zoo .
Southern England, the south-west and west Wales have been warned to expect more wild weather, with heavy rain and high tides possibly leading to coastal flooding and travel disruption over the weekend .
An American black bear mimics John Travolta’s famous Saturday Night Fever dance move by hurling its arm in the air .