FASCINATED residents enjoy a spectacular daily show by a flock of thousands of starlings that have gathered in a Teesdale village.

Since November, a hedge in Whorlton has been home to  the mass of birds, with more and more arriving in the area every day.

In the stunning movement, known as murmurations, the flock parade the skies to the delight of onlookers.

Terri Irvin, 75, from Whorlton, said: “It’s quite exceptional. It’s a first for Whorlton, I never expected them to be in front of my living room window.”

“The huge amount of birds can be quite unnerving at times,” said Ms Irwin, a former secretary, adding that it reminded her of the Hitchcock film, The Birds.

Ms Irwin said: “They come back in small groups then the sky is almost black with them.

“It can be quite scary, it’s more daunting when they all drop over you as they meet.”

Almost like clockwork, the starlings leave and return to their roost at the same time every day. From half three in the afternoon the starlings begin flying over the village until the full flock had arrived.

Ms Irwin said: “It is a phenomenal sight. It’s unbelievable when they do these murmurations. They fly in these long round shapes, cut away from one another and swoop down.”

Robbie Stewart, 39, pub landlord at The Bridge Inn, Whorlton, described the murmurations as “an amazing sight to see”.

He added: “Local people in the village are going out every day to see the spectacle.”

Starlings are now on the critical list of UK birds most at risk. The population has decreased dramatically, by over 70 per cent, in recent years.