Starling Trail

Heron Sculpture – Ham Wall, Somerset, UK. ID 809_4748

Ham Wall Car Park

For many years cars squeezed into the small car park between Shapwick Heath and Ham Wall.  When it overflowed during starling season cars would line the narrow road.  Then the RSPB announced they were going to build a new car park.

With building work limited to avoid disturbing the wildlife it seemed to take a very long time to build.  Finally it opened a couple of years ago.  Now with toilets, bird feeders, picnic tables, ponds, sculpture walk and the Welcome Building, the RSPB have created an asset for the area.  Manned by RSPB staff and volunteers whose help has transformed our visits to the starling murmurations.

Time to re-visit a year of this wonderful car park.

Grey Start

Having finished work for Christmas I headed to Ham Wall.  The starlings have been a bit all over the place and with grey skies the car park was the only place to watch.  With its open skies its the control centre monitoring (some say co-ordinating) the starling flocks as long lines of birds fly in all directions around the Avalon Marshes.

Starlings from a car park – Ham Wall, Somerset, UK. ID 824_3311

A large flock flies passes over the car park – directed by RSPB staff.

Starlings from a car park – Ham Wall, Somerset, UK. ID 824_3378

Back In Summer

The car park was a mecca for oxeye daises and red campion.

Oxeye Daisies – Ham Wall, Somerset, UK. ID 822_2453

Oxeye Daisies – Ham Wall, Somerset, UK. ID 822_2325

Oxeye Daisies – Ham Wall, Somerset, UK. ID 822_2308

Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum) – Ham Wall, Somerset, UK. ID 822_2244

Start of the Year

Back at the start of 2017 we had beautiful weather.  The heron sculpture is the first to welcome the dawn.

Heron Sculpture – Ham Wall, Somerset, UK. ID 809_4635

The resident swans in the car park pond stretch their wings.

Dawn at Ham Wall – Somerset, UK. ID 808_4346

One Minute

On a cold winter’s day the willow pike was white with frost.

Cold Pike – Ham Wall, Somerset, UK. ID 809_4686

One minute later and the golden light of dawn does its miracle.

Warm Pike – Ham Wall, Somerset, UK. ID 809_4686

Back to Today

From the car park we could see the starlings doing their thing over Waltons Heath.

Starlings from a car park – Ham Wall, Somerset, UK. ID 824_3389

And Finally…

Time to leave the car park and welcome another day on the reserve.

Dawn at Ham Wall – Somerset, UK. ID 809_7754