Walking around Ripon City Wetlands last weekend, I sat to watch the sunset reflected in the glassy mirrors of the wetland pools, a cacophony of birdlife making itself known from the nearby treeline.

The world was bathed in a dusky purple-blue, and I was halfway back to my car five minutes later when there was a sudden rush of silence - and then a fluttering, bubbling noise that immediately made me look up.

Starling murmurations are one of nature’s most awe-inspiring spectacles, the calm skies filled with a whirling, liquid-like mass of birds turning in a gentle patter of wing-beats and stunning synchronicity.

No one knows for certain why starlings put on such mesmerising aerial acrobatics during the winter months, but avoiding predators through safety in numbers is one common theory.

These dazzling dances attract more and more birds as they progress, so it could be that the murmuration is a way for birds to ‘share’ news of the best local feeding areas.

Autumn roosts usually begin to form in November, and last until early January. More and more birds will flock together as the weeks go on, and the number of starlings in a roost can swell to around 100,000 in some places.

Describing a starling murmuration rarely does it justice – the best thing is to see it for yourself.

One of the best places in North Yorkshire to see a starling murmuration is Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s Ripon City Wetlands nature reserve, just 25 miles from York.

The birds start to gather around thirty minutes from sunset and can be seen performing across the reserve until they descend into the reedbeds to roost – flattening them in the process.

Watching a many-thousand-strong flock ripple and dance across a dusky pink winter sky is one of nature’s best wildlife spectacles, and a wonderful way to welcome in the New Year.

Nearby Staveley nature reserve, even closer at 20 miles from York, is also host to the occasional starling murmuration, easily enjoyed from the central hill on the reserve, as is North Cave Wetlands near Hull.

Murmurations are not easily predictable, and starlings do not murmurate every evening.

I would recommend reaching your intended reserve early to enjoy the rest of the winter wildlife in case the starlings are a no-show - there’s plenty of other wildlife to enjoy from wading birds to roe deer and birds of prey wheeling up above.

Do also take a look at Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s homepage - www.ywt.org.uk/ - for advice on where to see starling murmurations, timings, car parking and being safe in the half light.

You can also find more information about the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust's wealth of local nature reserves at the same address.

Amy Cooper is the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust's communications officer