STAR-TI-LING: 40,000 STARLINGS MIMIC HITCHCOCK'S THE BIRDS

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

Other great stories
FISH TSUNAMI

A TSUNAMI of predatory fish gather for their annual hunt .

IT'S RAINING DOGS

WITH THE WIND blowing through their fur, you'll believe a dog can fly in these hilarious images .

TUNNEL FOR VICTORY

What lies beneath this building site? Britain's great hope of winning the pre-WW2 arms race against Nazi Germany .

NOSEY POLAR BEAR INSPECTS TOURIST'S TRUCK

STANDING on its hind legs, a nosey polar bear presses its paws against the window of a truck and takes a peek at the tourist inside .

CHEEKY BABY GORILLA

THIS cheeky gorilla tries his best to wriggle free from his mum .

AMAZING AMERICAN LANDSCAPES

This tranquil setting stretches for miles as the sun sets behind the mountain .

POLE-DANCING MUM CELEBRATES PREGNANCIES WITH WACKY STUNTS

A mum has celebrated each of her four pregnancies with a host of wacky stunts - including acrobatics, aerial contortion, pole-dancing and risque photo shoots .

WEATHER TAKES BIZZARE TURN

It was sunny, now it's raining .

HIDDEN HIMALAYAN FESTIVAL

A quiet Himalayan mountain village springs to life for a colourful Buddhist festival designed to expel evil spirits and bring happiness .

RELAXING SNOW MONKEY

WITHOUT A care in the world, this little snow monkey puts his feet up and settles in for a snooze .

FALSE KILLER WHALE BEAMS AS HE CATCHES HIS LUNCH

Say cheese! This cheeky chappy isn’t in the mood to live up to his scary reputation as he is pictured here cracking a killer smile as he goes about his daily business .

THE GREAT ESCAPE

Staring death in the face, a little field mouse bravely confronts a hungry cat .