Starling Trail

The birds have been roosting all over the Loxtons Marsh, Waltons Heath and deeper into Ham Wall near Sharpham Moor.  This morning I decided to move from Loxtons and try my luck in the Tor View hide of Waltons Heath.

Starling leave the Waltons Heath – Ham Wall, Somerset, UK. ID 808_4092

The morning was much brighter than yesterday and  I hoped that the view from the hide looking towards the sunrise would provide some golden images.

I was a bit late getting out of bed and I needed to make up time getting to Ham Wall.  However, it was a very cold morning and the narrow roads through the Somerset Levels were white with frost.  I was worried about ice as you do not want to slide off these roads with their ditches on both sides.

I arrived at the first viewing platform and headed straight to the Tor View hide.  Two other photographers were already there.  I clanked around changing my camera lens.  I was about to take some picture of the ducks while I waited for the starlings when they suddenly lifted out the reeds directly in front of the hide.

Starling leave the Waltons Heath – Ham Wall, Somerset, UK. ID 808_4027

After this group flew away it went quite for a few minutes before a huge group of birds that were roosting in Loxtons Marsh passed in front of Glastonbury Tor.

Starling leave the Waltons Heath – Ham Wall, Somerset, UK. ID 808_4061

This distant group encouraged more birds to leave Waltons Heath next to our hide.

Starling leave the Waltons Heath – Ham Wall, Somerset, UK. ID 808_4072

The birds came incredibly close.

Starling leave the Waltons Heath – Ham Wall, Somerset, UK. ID 808_4092

A few minutes later a steady stream of birds lead its way from the Loxtons Marsh.

Starling leave the Waltons Heath – Ham Wall, Somerset, UK. ID 808_4135

Suddenly the biggest roost, in the top north east corner of Loxtons Marsh, lifted and quickly filled the sky.

Starling leave the Waltons Heath – Ham Wall, Somerset, UK. ID 808_4169

Starling leave the Waltons Heath – Ham Wall, Somerset, UK. ID 808_4176

Summary

The birds are all over Ham Wall.  They are roosting is several small groups rather than sharing a single reed bed.  Normally when the birds roost together they take off in a series of waves.  The last couple of days each small groups has taken it in turn to leave the roost.  Strangely each group has lifted in the same order each day.  They seem to got themselves organised!

One consequence of spreading themselves across the reserve is the reeds are not being trashed so quickly so the birds are not moving on.  Normally, they would move on every few days.