Starling Watch
A deep red sky at the start of another day at RSPB Ham Wall in Somerset.
The Morning
Last night the birds kept a secret. They dropped into the reed bed at the wilderness then in the cover of darkness they streamed back to roost in the Loxtons.
So this morning I was standing on the track in the Loxtons where I thought the noise of the birds was loudest.
Like every morning in winter, the birds surged into the sky just before dawn.
And it was a lovely dawn.
The Evening
So now I knew the starlings plan. Well maybe. I got on my cycle and headed straight down to the wilderness.
First it looked like the birds were going to roost in Loxtons. It seemed the flock could not make up its mind – Loxtons or Wilderness?
In the confusion, smaller groups of starlings did not know which way to turn. A classic recipe for some twisted murmuration shapes in the sky.
Eventually, the birds chose the wilderness.
Dropping down into the reeds in front of the Wilderness Drove.
Like last night the birds did not settle here.
The Secret
More than one hundred thousand starlings lifted up into the sky over our heads.
From one corner to the other the sky was full of fast flying birds.