Every autumn, starlings gather at dusk in murmurations, flocks of thousands that twist and turn as one and create shapes that shift and dissolve. Britain's breeding starling population has declined dramatically over recent decades, while changes in climate, migration and habitat reshape the lives of many birds. Researchers are repeating a major citizen-science survey carried out 12 years ago, asking the public to report what they see, to find out whether murmurations are changing in size, timing or location. Each bird in a murmuration reacts to the movements of just a few neighbors, which is how the whole flock stays coordinated.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.