Whether it’s to reduce stress or feel a greater connection to the natural world, more of us are seeking awe-inspiring displays of nature. But where can you capture these magical moments and can you do it impact-free?
It’s a cold, clear February evening on Brighton beach. The sun has not yet dipped below the horizon and the last of the light is that strange, luminescent blue that presages dusk. Hundreds of pairs of eyes are turned skyward, waiting not for sunset to spill its colours into the ocean – a spectacle in itself – but for something even more wondrous to unfold.
There’s no guarantee what we’re waiting for will even happen. Then I notice individual starlings dotting the sky. A small squadron flies in from the east, arcing above the neon red Brighton Pier sign. Lone birds are drawn to the flock like iron filings to a magnet, and what was a nothing magics itself into a something: a swarm, a wave, a flying carpet. Peppercorns spilling over the helter-skelter. They shimmer and billow, flutter and plummet – shapeshifting from cloud to fish, ghost to serpent, smoke spiral to blanket.
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Each time the shape reinvents itself, my stomach flips. Sometimes, the moving mass vanishes altogether – an Etch-a-Sketch wiped clean – then the birds turn as one and it reanimates itself. I try to follow a single starling; it’s hopeless. The seagulls seem energised by the murmuration, lifting off the beach and calling to one another. But the starlings are silent as they perform their aerial dance. As are we, the spellbound watchers.
“Any brush with nature can reduce stress, improve mood and leave the mind feeling calmed and restored,” says Dr Kate Howlett, whose work explores the effects of nature connection on human health. But some encounters bring an extra dimension: awe. “Feeling awestruck is really good for us,” Howlett says. “It reduces our sense of self, helping us feel connected to something greater. This brings meaning to our lives and fosters compassion and cooperation.”
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Awe is usually experienced as feelings of wonder and reverence, often in the presence of something vast, beautiful or mysterious. Research in 2021 found that it was a more effective antidote to ‘in-the-moment’ feelings of stress and worry than amusement, joy or pride. All of which, says Howlett, makes us more likely to seek it out again.
Beyond the self
While human creations, such as a musical performance or an incredible piece of architecture, can elicit awe, nature is particularly good at conjuring the emotion. That may be why – in our ever-more urban, indoor and screen-dominated lives – more people are actively seeking out natural wonders. “There are definitely growing sections of society who are choosing to make more time for nature in their lives,” says Howlett.
Glenn Bowden from Devon witnessed his first murmuration in Somerset after a tip-off from a friend. He was captivated. “I showed the video to my wife, Sarah, and she thought I’d somehow faked it,” he remembers. “So I took her to see it for herself and she, too, was smitten. After that, we would regularly go out before sunrise, even in driving rain, to watch the starlings rising from the reedbeds.” After meeting fellow enthusiasts, the couple launched a website and Facebook group in 2014 to share information about starling roost sites.
Interest has exploded in recent years. “TV and social media have raised awareness of murmurations, leading to more people wanting to witness one for themselves,” Bowden says. Their group now has over 29,000 members and the murmuration map has been viewed almost two million times. While it’s great that more people are getting out and connecting to nature, there can be downsides. One issue is that when photos and videos from a particular vantage spot get shared widely, it can draw in too many people, causing disruption for locals, and possibly wildlife. Bowden tells me that some murmuration sites have asked not to be included on the map to avoid being inundated. Starlings aren’t the only avian species drawing in the crowds.
Each autumn, tens of thousands of pink-footed geese migrate from Greenland and Iceland to winter on the coasts of Scotland, East Anglia and the north-west of England. At dawn, the geese rise from their roosts and head inland to feed in the fields, making a clamorous return at dusk. “The sight and sound of all those geese taking off against the backdrop of a beautiful sunrise is hard to beat,” says Joanna Peaker, manager at the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Montrose Basin Visitor Centre. The centre held its first GooseFest last October – 10 days of walks, talks and events to mark the occasion.
“It was the busiest October we’ve ever had.” The RSPB has also seen a rise in visitors to sites where there is a nature spectacle to behold, be it the alien glow of biofluorescence, the cacophony of a seabird colony or drama of the red-deer rut. “Our more unique nature experiences and events are increasingly popular,” says Brona Doyle, visitor experience manager. “They often sell out very quickly.” As Bowden has noticed with starling watchers, it isn’t just more people who are interested, it’s different people. “We’ve noticed greater diversity among the visitors coming to witness these nature spectacles,” says Doyle. “Compared to our typical day-to-day visitor, there’s a wider range of ages and interests, with people travelling further.”
Not all of nature’s wonders have wings – or even a heartbeat. What is a rainbow, a lenticular cloud or a pink-and-orange sunset if not wondrous? Step outside at night and the sights can be even more awe-inspiring. It need not be something dramatic, like a meteor shower; astronomer and author Tom Kerss still remembers a crystal-clear night on Dartmoor from his student days, seeing the Milky Way stretching from one horizon to the other. Kerss, a committed eclipse and aurora hunter, believes the Covid lockdowns triggered a surge in interest in the night sky.
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“Stargazing offered a way to access the natural world at a time when people were confined to their homes,” he says. The attraction shows no signs of abating – astrotourism was one of the biggest travel trends of 2025 – and this, Kerss believes, speaks to our desire to reconnect to nature. “We evolved under a dark night sky – our awe and wonder at its workings are deeply rooted,” he explains. “Not long ago, such a sky was available to everyone but, thanks to light pollution and the objects that we have put into space, true darkness is increasingly rare. I sense a collective urge to get back to this natural wonder.”
Everyday encounters
Stu Ashley, from Perthshire, has been fascinated by the night sky since childhood. But it wasn’t until 10 years ago that he first witnessed the aurora borealis – the northern lights – and was immediately hooked. “The aurora connects you to something far greater – it is a living dance between Earth and the cosmos,” he says. Ashley began to teach himself about space weather and the conditions needed to produce an aurora, as well as how best to capture the ‘Mirrie Dancers’ (as they are known in Scotland) on camera.
He started to share his growing knowledge with others, and in 2023, launched Scotland’s Aurora Watch on Facebook. Membership grew steadily until a major aurora in May 2024 sent numbers soaring from 8,000 to more than 40,000. Membership has since more than doubled. “The group has brought people together over a shared interest,” says Ashley. Ashley has severe complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD). The night sky offers an outlet – a place to escape to, especially during insomnia and night terrors – but the Facebook group has also enabled him to raise money for PTSD Resolution, a charity providing therapy support to armed forces veterans, reservists and their families, which he credits with saving his life.
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In 2024, places on his inaugural Charity Night Sky and Aurora Workshop in Glen Coe sold out within 24 hours. The event is now an annual fundraiser. This year sees the group’s first aurora-hunting trip to Iceland, with funds raised going to the charity. While it’s often the grand spectacles that elicit awe, Howlett stresses that smaller, more everyday encounters also benefit our health and wellbeing. A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that nature exposure was associated with reduced neural activity in an area of the brain linked to negative thinking patterns.
“The natural world is full of things that capture our attention spontaneously,” she says. “Noticing branches swaying in the wind, a bird soaring, or a bee on a dandelion all provide opportunities for joy, wonder and appreciation.” Back in Brighton, the murmuration is over. I realise I have tears in my eyes – and they aren’t just from the cold.
Reconnect to the natural world
