Ham Wall / Starling Murmurations

Starling Trail

by Jeff Bevan · Published 7th November 2022 · Updated 14th November 2022

Starlings heading to the rain – Ham Wall, Avalon Marshes, Somerset, UK. ID JB_9402

The starlings return to their roost at RSPB Ham Wall in the middle of a series of rain showers.

The Starling Season Begins

This has been my first week making visits to Ham Wall this winter. This is a time when I get very excited about seeing the starlings and filling up a bunch of memory cards.

The season starts in November peaks in December and January, and continues on through into February. The birds arrive around sunset, roost amongst the reeds, then rise again at dawn. Each evening the birds choose a communal roost site which could be anywhere across several miles of marsh.

Check with the RSPB staff and volunteers at the huts in the Ashcott Corner car park for the best place to watch the birds, it changes day by day.

Marsh Harriers

Everyone watching the starlings wants to see a raptor chase the flock. The hope is that the panicking flock will be twisted into a series of fleeting shapes.

Sadly, this does not happen very often. But you will almost definitely see a Marsh Harrier or two. This one was completely ignored by a small flock of starlings flying the other way.

Marsh Harrier and Starlings – Waltons, Ham Wall, Somerset, UK. ID JB_7700

Rainbows

The showers had the bonus of creating rainbows. Everyone loves a rainbow.

Rainbow and Starlings – Ham Wall, Avalon Marshes, Somerset, UK. ID JB_8806

Glastonbury Tor

The marshes have great views of Glastonbury Tor. Although, that reminds me of my recent failure to get festival tickets – rubbish servers kept bombing me out. Next weekend, and it is time to give the local tickets a go. Fingers crossed.

Glastonbury Tor and Starlings – Ham Wall, Avalon Marshes, Somerset, UK. ID JB_7844

The Moon

A couple of days too early for a full moon, but still looks cool.

The Moon and Starlings – Waltons, Ham Wall, Avalon Marshes, Somerset, UK. ID JB_8151

The Flocks

Soon the flocks of starlings reach huge numbers, may be as much as a hundred thousand birds or more.

Starling Flock – Waltons, Ham Wall, Avalon Marshes, Somerset, UK. ID JB_8141

Murmurations

At last we got some patterns in the sky. Some people save the term murmurations just for these patterns.

Starling Flock – Ham Wall, Avalon Marshes, Somerset, UK. ID JB_8945

The late birds stream across the Glastonbury Canal to join the roast.

Swans and Starlings – Ham Wall, Avalon Marshes, Somerset, UK. ID JB_9486H

And finally...

I quick visit to the nearby village of Godney to catch the flocks in the wider countryside. I liked this picture best, because (you will need a bit of imagination here) it looks like the leaves are being blown off the old willow tree and turned into starlings!