Starling Roosts

I rarely record movies of the starlings, but recently I have been so close to their roost site that I thought it was worth a go.

Starling Murmuration – Loxtons Marsh, Ham Wall, Somerset, UK. ID 823_8869

The birds drop into their roost at Loxtons Marsh last week.

The Roost

The picture below makes it look brighter than it really was.  It was getting too dark for still pictures I turned to video to capture the chaos and noise of the amazing starling roosts.

Starling Murmuration – Loxtons Marsh, Ham Wall, Somerset, UK. ID 823_9085

My Movies

Around 50,000 starlings have just landed in a small patch of reeds at Ham Wall.  They have not settled, and more and more birds are dropping out of the sky above them.

The birds fly around just above the reeds.  I hope this movie give you a sense of the noise and chaos of the roost.  Around 20 seconds into the video the birds drop low into the reeds.  The sound of their wings was amazing to witness.  At this time in the far right-hand edge of the film thousands of birds have taken to the air.  As they take off the reeds, flattened under the birds, spring up-and-over and slap down on the surface of the water creating a pulse of spray.  I have never seen this happen before.

A few minutes later and the birds that took off are flying around my head.   The swirling wind they created can be heard on film.

Gradually, the birds settle in the reeds next to the path that goes though the middle of Loxtons Marsh.  Occasionally, groups of birds lift up and fly around before settling back in to the reeds.

And Finally…

This is favourite wow from a starling roost last year.