AN ANIMAL lover was left outraged after a drone was spotted flying near a starling murmuration - causing them to “stop dancing”.

The woman, from Brighton, said the incident was "upsetting" and had scared the birds, causing them to stop swooping through the sky.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has now warned against using drones near murmurations, commonly seen above the pier.

If a drone were to injure a bird then it could be considered an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

In a Facebook post, the woman said: "Absolute p***** flying drones into the murmurations this evening.

“They stopped dancing for a while, presumably with fear. Any ideas what could be done? I was prevented from going over and having a gentle word. So upsetting.”

Another woman said she was “raging” when she saw the drone on Tuesday.

While one man suggested “knocking the controller out of their hand”.

The Argus: Picture from Alex Bamford of starlings off Brighton Palace PierPicture from Alex Bamford of starlings off Brighton Palace Pier

A spokesman for RSPB said: “Starling murmurations are an incredible winter spectacle, and one many people are keen to capture on camera. Starlings are a threatened species, and their numbers have fallen by more than 66 per cent in Britain since the mid-1970s.

“They rely on the safety of roosting sites like Palace Pier to help protect them from the harsh weather and predators in winter.

“The use of drones near murmurations can risk disturbing or injuring starlings while they murmurate, and goes against the guidance on drone use around wildlife issued by the Civil Aviation Authority.

“If a drone were to collide with the birds and cause injury, it would potentially be an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.”

A murmuration is the name given to large groups of starlings which gather and fly as a flock - dipping, diving and swerving in unison. It is believed the name stems from the fact that the movement of the group creates a murmur-esque sound.

One reason starlings gather in murmurations is to stay warm at night, with the Starlings in the Sky website reporting that the combined body heat of thousands of birds can "raise the surrounding air temperature by a few degrees".

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