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
BEAUTIFULLY lit by the dim glow of lanterns, a cave in Iceland is transformed into the perfect wedding venue .
MASKED intruders look sinister but really they are a gang of urban exploring pranksters .
This is the moment a nimble red fox and a lumbering Alaskan brown bear were locked in a tense stand-off .
THIS LITTLE squirrel tries to keep himself snug as snow starts to fall around him .
A once bustling gold rush town in Mono County, California now stands completed deserted .
A group of otters put on a show of aqua aerobics, as they raise their flippers perfectly in sync .
ROLLING across a 65-metre-high viaduct in the Alps, the red carriages of the Bernina Express add a splash of colour to the spectacular snow-covered Swiss surroundings .
THIS may look like a dolphin through jumping hoops, but it is in fact nothing more than a clever 3D pencil drawing .
HUDDLED together on a branch, a pair of adorable Javan scops owls soak up the sun .
GETTING behind the camera, this monkey practices his photography skills on his friends .
A SERENE turquoise glow glimmers from underneath these powerful icebergs .