About us
About 7 Starlings
Why are we called 7 Starlings?
Somerset is the best place in the UK to see murmurations of starlings; tens of thousands of birds wheel and weave elegantly, making patterns in the sky above the Levels.
A huge flock can be just as responsive as a small flock, responding to changes such as the appearance of predators or rough weather. And of course, there is safety in numbers.
Those huge flocks have no leader. Each bird pays close attention to the movement of the 6 birds immediately around it, and so on throughout the flock. And it could be any 7, depending on the situation. Hence the notion of “7 Starlings” as our metaphor.
Our best murmurations are on bright, still days in winter when numbers are swelled by migrant birds from Northern Europe; localised responsiveness is powerful, diversity is strength.
Starlings and our vision
Starlings thrive in Somerset where we offer them a great habitat: clean water, plentiful food, safe roosting sites...
…Our vision is to create a habitat for events, activities and vibrant community cohesion. Click here for what we mean by creating a habitat for community engagement.
We designed 7 Starlings to work how starlings behave. We intend to create habitats to support similar diversity and responsiveness, to empower local initiatives and to develop the conditions for safe and exciting creativity to thrive.
As an example and starting point, the community campaigned to keep the library in our Town Centre. 7 Starlings worked with Somerset County Council, with support from the Town Council and Michael Eavis, to have the Library refurbished and to extend professionally staffed library hours. In addition, the space can be used as a community hub for events and activities.
