THE FIRST dedicated starling observation spot on the south coast had its grand opening tonight, and the main act even came out for a “beautiful murmuration”.
Starlings' Roost, at Brighton Palace Pier, is an observation post and café where people can witness the murmuration’s from thousands of starlings in the winter and spring months.
The grand opening tonight was in front of a golden sunset and the starlings were said to have appeared in their thousands as Caroline Lucas ended her speech.
There were plenty of familiar faces, including celebrity vet, Marc Abraham OBE, Phelim Mac Cafferty, leader of the council, as well as Anne Ackford, CEO of Brighton Pier Group.
The café aims to inform people on the natural phenomenon of starling's murmurations while also providing a hot drink. It even has a camera underneath the pier to watch where the starlings roost.
Caroline Lucas, Green MP for Brighton, Pavilion, said she hopes the observation spot will make a “positive difference” in supporting local starling populations.
She said: “It’s a real pleasure to open Starlings' Roost on Brighton’s Palace Pier today, not only to celebrate our local starling murmuration which brings so much joy to the city, but also to help highlight dwindling numbers of these incredible birds, and how we can all help them survive in the future.
“Simple actions like feeding garden birds through the winter, buying organic fruit and vegetables and helping raise awareness will all make a positive difference to our local starling populations.”
Marc Abraham said on Twitter: “Brilliant launch of Starling’s Roost tonight. Taken a few months to plan with a bunch of passionate starling fans and phenomenal support from Brighton Palace Pier.
“Huge thanks to Caroline Lucas for the kind words and cutting the ribbon, everyone else who came along, plus Tim and Ben for the poem and music!”
Anne Ackford, CEO of The Brighton Pier Group, said: “Brighton’s starling murmurations have been hugely popular with locals and visitors to the city for decades, so it made sense to invite a local group of passionate starling enthusiasts and photographers, who assemble every night in winter to watch the murmurations, to work with the Pier to honour these special birds, and the result is the Starling's Roost.
“We hope the public enjoy our new free exhibit, learn about starling conservation, help raise awareness, and share photos and videos of the starlings on their social media platforms.”
For more information on Starlings' Roost, visit their page.
Have you got a story for us? Email news@theargus.co.uk or contact us here.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep up with all the latest news.
Sign up to our newsletter to get updates sent straight to your inbox.
You can also call us on 01273 021 400.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel