It’s often said you don’t appreciate what you’ve got until it’s gone. Belfast's NCN Route 9 had a birdwatching treasure until it disappeared. The city had one of the largest urban murmurations of starlings – the collective name for flocks of these sparky birds – until they were literally dazzled by lights.
Magical murmuration of starlings seen from NCN Route 9 over the River Lagan in Belfast city centre
The dancing, swirling flocks of birds were such a mesmerising sight, they almost stopped traffic in the city centre every evening at rush hour. Until one day they just vanished.
A grassroots environmental organisation, Wild Belfast, investigated the reason and suspected it was due to light pollution both under and near the Albert Bridge, where they roosted.
Light pollution causes the birds extra stress, exposure and prevents them from sleeping.
The conservationists found that new LED lanterns with a cold tone had been installed, so among the solutions light shields and red-light filters were added, and the lighting under the bridge was switched off.
Starlings return to roost in Belfast
It started slowly but gradually over the past three years the birds have returned – in their droves.
At the end of January two hundred people gathered at the bridge for a Celebrating Starlings event to watch the mesmerising sight and hear the story of the bird’s ecology.
“Since their return we have received so much support from different parts of the Belfast community,” said ecologist Conor McKinney who is the founder of Wild Belfast.
“It’s part of the city’s heritage and the birds are a UK red-listed species, which means we’ve seen about a 20% decline in the past decade, so it is vital we protect them.”
Hundreds of people came to celebrate the starlings at an event beside Albert Bridge in Belfast in January
See a variety of wildlife from the National Cycle Network
The aerial spectacle can now be enjoyed every evening at sunset through the autumn and winter months. But you don’t have to watch them from a traffic jam on the bridge.
One of the best places to see them is from the Lagan towpath or National Cycle Network (NCN) Route 9 which crosses the Albert Bridge.
You can bird watch from here all year round, the murmuration in the autumn and winter, and the guillemots, terns, and gulls in the spring and summer.
While starlings dance overhead, there are many other creatures to spot in the river itself.
Playful seals are known to frequently swim in from Belfast Lough up the River Lagan and the further you cycle inland towards the Lagan Valley Regional Park there are more treats in store.
Herons and kingfishers can be seen on the river all year round and many more birds breed here, including barn owls, skylarks and swifts.
The red lighting installed under the Albert Bridge in Belfast as seen at night-time
Well connected to public transport and amenities
NCN Route 9 is a very popular commuter and leisure route as it runs southbound from Belfast city centre through the Lagan Valley Regional Park as far as the city of Lisburn.
You can enjoy the murmuration on foot by taking the train to Lanyon station which exits on to the Albert Bridge. If you don’t have a bike and want to explore the full route, there are a number of docking stations for the Belfast BikeShare scheme, Beryl Bikes.
And if you get cold watching the birds, it’s a short hop from here to Native coffee on the Maritime Mile in Titanic Quarter, which has a bike repair station and pump. There’s also seating for you to take a rest and contemplate the fragility and resilience of nature.
