Thousands of starlings delighted onlookers as they created a swirling murmuration around Poldhu Cove on Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall, south-west England.

Then suddenly, they all plummet into the reeds and go to bed.

Starlings gather in enormous flying groups called murmurations just before dusk, when smaller groups come together above a communal roosting site.

It is a common sight in some parts of England, whose own starlings tend not to migrate away in winter but whose numbers are swelled by the arrival of starlings from places with colder winters.

Thousands of starlings delight onlookers as they create a swirling murmuration around Poldhu Cove on the Lizard Peninsula. Then suddenly, they all plummet into the reeds and goto bed.