HUNDREDS of bird watchers and keen photographers descended on Romsey this weekend to witness one of nature's most incredible performances.

Starlings have been snapped over Fishlake Meadows over the past few days, with droves heading down in the late afternoons to witness their murmurations.

The mass aerial stunt is a rare sight that sees thousands of the birds swoop and dive as one.

According to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the performance is for a number of reasons.

The organisation said: "Grouping together offers safety in numbers – predators such as peregrine falcons find it hard to target one bird in the middle of a hypnotising flock of thousands.

"They also gather to keep warm at night to exchange information, such as good feeding areas."

The birds gather over their roosting site and perform their stunts before they roost for the night making late afternoon and the early evening the best time to see them.

Among the viewers were Daily Echo Camera Club members.