Ham Wall / Starling Murmurations

Starling Trail

by Jeff Bevan · Published 10th January 2018 · Updated 16th January 2018

Glastonbury Tor – From Ham Wall, Somerset, UK. ID 824_5893

Recently the Starlings have been roosting in the wilderness. Far from the main path in Ham Wall getting good views is difficult – especially as the weather has been so poor.

The best place to watch the starlings on the reserve is from the second viewing platform. However, looking north into the distance after sunset can be a dark dull experience.

The Wilderness Way

For a couple of weeks the starlings have been roosting in the far north of the Ham Wall nature reserve. This area is difficult to access and is known by some as the Wilderness Way. The Wilderness and Rock droves are as close as you can get but there are no public footpaths leading towards the roost site.

It was a bright sunny day so I decided to try the second viewing platform. The platform was crowded. It looked like the stadium of a local football team waiting for the match to start.

I hoped we would get to see the birds flying overhead then capture some murmurations over the roost site. Sometimes being further back from the flock gives you a better view of the murmuration patterns compared to when the birds are overhead.

Cloud over the Mendip Hills – From Ham Wall, Somerset, UK. ID 824_5898

The second viewing platform looks north towards the Mendip Hills. While waiting for the starlings an lonely strange shaped cloud appeared above the hills. Was it just an isolated cumulonimbus cloud or something more sinister?

Starlings at Wilderness Drove - Ham Wall, Somerset, UK. ID 824_5907

Starlings Overhead – Ham Wall, Somerset, UK. ID 824_5907

Eventually, just as you start to give-up, the starlings arrived overhead. Other groups appeared over the hamlet of Stileway and its water tower.

Starlings at Wilderness Drove – Ham Wall, Somerset, UK. ID 824_5951

It was pretty dark and as the birds flew over their roost site they were hard to see. Only by the power of Photoshop was I able to bring out this relatively clear view.

Starlings at Wilderness Drove – Ham Wall, Somerset, UK. ID 824_5966

And Finally…

As we walked back to the RSPB car park we found out that a group of starlings had roosted in Waltons Heath. This is good news as it possible that tomorrow the main flock will follow.