Stunning footage capturing a peregrine falcon swooping at a murmuration of starlings in Suffolk has attracted admiring comments from nature enthusiasts far and wide.

RSPB Minsmere posted the video on its Twitter account yesterday and it was quickly liked and shared by hundreds of followers.

“Forgive us for sharing starlings so much, but oh, how we’ve missed this spectacle,” it tweeted.

“Nothing so beautiful or exciting as seeing a peregrine stoop at tens of thousands of starlings, art and life entwined.”

Nature fans thanked the RSPB for sharing the video, which has been described variously as “amazing”, “awesome” and a “particularly beautiful display”.

East Anglian Daily Times: A murmuration of starling above RSPB Minsmere. Picture: RSPB MINSMEREA murmuration of starling above RSPB Minsmere. Picture: RSPB MINSMERE (Image: Archant)

Murmurations happen when thousands of birds swoop and dive in unison to offer safety from predators, warmth at night and to exchange information.

They take place over roosting sites in the late afternoon or early evening, from autumn through until spring.

RSPB Minsmere is advising people to visit the reserve in the next few days to see the sights for themselves.

“This spectacle doesn’t happen often now, and may only be here for a couple of weeks, so if people want to watch it they need to visit soon,” said visitor experience manager Matt Parrott.

East Anglian Daily Times: A murmuration of starlings above RSPB Minsmere. Picture: RSPB MINSMEREA murmuration of starlings above RSPB Minsmere. Picture: RSPB MINSMERE (Image: Archant)

“They start to arrive around from 3.30pm from their feeding grounds in the fields nearby, and will perform up until dusk and roost in the reedbed.”

The video comes amid this year’s Big Garden Bird Watch, the world’s largest garden wildlife survey, which invites people to count the maximum number of each species they see in their garden.

For more information about RSPB Minsmere visit its website.

For more information about the Big Garden Bird Watch visit the RSPB’s information page.