Denmark's Annual View of the Black Sun

Every year in autumn, hundreds of thousands of migrating starlings gather in the marshes of the Wadden Sea National Park in Denmark looking for rest and food on their way south for the winter. When the birds attempt landing, they perform aerial ballets and formations to avoid or counter attack birds of prey trying to enter the flock. These moving formations block the view to the sky and the phenomenon is therefore called “Black Sun.” Every evening, up to a million birds can be seen landing in a chosen spot at sunset. Around 100-thousand visitors from near and afar visit the national park every year to experience the birds’ performance. The concentration of birds is the largest from the end of September to mid-October. After eating and resting, the birds all rise at once and head south before returning in the spring