Starlings everywhere, all at once, sounds like shock-and-awe. I too have witnessed large flocks suddenly appear in the backyard. Most of the time these flocks are smaller birds such as finches (goldfinch and house finch). Many years ago there was a flock of redpolls. I wish that would happen again now that I know what they are. I've even had a group, not actually a flock, of at least eight orioles at the same time ... all of them were males and all of them were looking for trouble.
The shock and awe part only occurs when the flock is formidable as sometimes happens with blackbirds, like starlings or grackles. They attack the feeder with the ferociousness of angry hornets hell bent on defending their nest from a perceived threat. Such marauding bands have never swept into my yard while I was outside. Had that happened I would not have had a scary soundtrack on cue. Ya, I'm weird that way. Thankfully they only raided the yard while I was inside from where I could watch in safety. Birds have even collided with the window during these brief but frenzied offensives. They were looking to do injury, bless their hearts. I was so grateful for the glass barrier otherwise I might be subjected to murmurations in my ear. It makes me groan in agony even texting it. Pretty bad. While perhaps not in the numbers that saluted Charline when see was up north, heaven knows she deserves it, these squadrons of blackbirds conjure images of a dystopian future world, when birds, not the apes, seek revenge on mankind. Please read this last part so that the voice in your head is deeply low, breathy and film-trailer ominous.
