FOR a month each winter thousands of starlings make the sky above Royal Wootton Bassett their home.

Residents on the quiet suburban streets are treated to dazzling displays as the birds swoop in flocks through the dusk sky.

The spectacle – called murmurations – are an annual occurrence above Bincknoll Lane, Royal Wootton Bassett.

However, this year’s flocks have been especially beautiful – this weekend attracting dozens of birdwatchers to the suburban streets.

Along with ornithologists, the bird also bring their own share of mess. Dog walkers emerge from their homes with umbrellas or their hoods up – guarding against the peppering of excrement left by the starlings as they pass over head.

Most residents say they have got used to the birds’ mess.

Resident Mike Wakefield, 62, said: “It’s fantastic. I really like it. I’ll happily put up with the mess. When I moved here 12 years ago the house was dotted with bird mess. I remember thinking, ‘Oh my God, where am I moving to?’ Still, I bought the house and for three or four years we never had a starling in the air.”

Neighbour Morgan Eves, 20, of Homefield, said of the starling murmurations: “It’s amazing to watch, but it’s devastating when you come out and see your car the next day.”

Some have taken to washing their cars several times a week, while others pull plastic sheeting over their cars.

Even pets aren’t safe from the wrath of the starlings. Morgan said her nine-year-old black Boxer/Labrador cross was wary of leaving the safety of the house when the birds are about. When the call of nature finally forces her out, she darts back in looking like “a Dalmatian”, said owner Morgan Eves.

The starlings roost in large conifer trees behind Homefield. Caroline Macdonald, 53, has the perfect view from her back window: “It’s amazing to watch.”

According to bird charity the RSPB, the starlings fly in large flocks for “many reasons”.

Spokesman Rupert Mansfield told the Daily Express: “Grouping together offers safety in numbers. Predators such as peregrine falcons find it hard to target one bird in the middle of a hypnotising flock of thousands.

“They also gather to keep warm at night and to exchange information, such as good feeding areas.”