Spot the birdies at Shapwick near Glastonbury

On Saturday evening we decided to pop along to the Ham Wall RSPB Reserve at the top end of Shapwick Heath on the peat moors just outside Glastonbury to see if we could spot the display of Starlings (Latin name Sturnus Vulgaris) that congregate in the area at this time of year as they try to find somewhere to roost on the reed beds.  Unpredictable, they can sometimes put on a fantastic display while at other times you will see very little of note; and of course it is a case of being in the right place at the right time.  

This was a very pleasant evening; it had been warm and sunny all day, and although the temperature was now staring to drop as the sun disappeared, the sky was relatively clear.   

When we arrived, at around 4pm, there were already plenty of cars and parking was tricky.  We contemplated parking at the old Peat Moors Centre, but managed to park a bit nearer.  By this time there were already plenty of people of all ages around, standing on the viewing platform and waiting for the spectacle to start.  The starlings have recently featured on Countryfile, in the local media etc. and consequently bound to be busy but it was still surprising to see quite so many people in attendance.  Many were armed with binoculars, cameras with zoom lenses longer than my arm, tripods and all manner of twitcher-type gear, and although I'm no expert it seemed that plenty of folk were.    

For around an hour nothing much happened apart from the sun going down, with the only things flying overhead being a jet aircraft departing from Bristol airport and a duck which was flapping its wings so earnestly it was clear it was in a hurry to get somewhere, but there were plenty of friendly folk around.   A little later a hen harrier appeared, flew around a bit and then disappeared.   

And then, a few minutes before 5pm the starlings started to appear, coming together following a day foraging for food. This phenomenon is known as a murmuration and within minutes, huge swathes of birds started joining together and swirling around.  A few small groups of a dozen or so birds flew directly overhead, but in front of us several huge flocks swept across the sky like plumes of smoke, impossible to count in number and just a little too far away to define with the naked eye, little black spots gathering together to perform their fantastic aerial displays; and breathtaking they were too as they swooped and wheeled around in unison, a hypnotising sight as when at their most dense they formed big black swirling clouds, before thinning out and coming together again, like iron filings being moved around by a gigantic invisible magnet.  One chap advised me “the birds try to fly as close to one another as possible copying the smallest change in speed or direction.  It is natural protection and the sheer numbers makes the chance of one being picked off by a preying raptor quite remote”.  Gobsmacked I just considered which one was in charge and took the lead, and wondered how many actually collided while performing their convoluted and chaotic aerial manoeuvres. 

And then, after about 20 minutes or so it appeared that the birds had found their night-time shelter and they proceeded to descend onto the reed beds in front of us, yet even when they were no longer visible they were still quite vocal and we could hear their chattering as we walked back to the car. 

Someone mentioned that this was an above average display, and the conditions were ideal.  He said that the amount of starlings here tonight would probably be in excess of 3 million, yet having no knowledge of what 3 million flocking birds look like I probably just nodded along dumbly having no idea how accurate this estimate was.   

An RSPB guide on hand did suggest coming back one morning before dawn to see the birds take off in unison which is another breathtaking sight, and also a great opportunity to see predatory birds who will be in the vicinity to pick up any dead starlings that died of natural causes during the night. 

If you are interested watching this spectacular yourself, the wise thing to do is to call the Starling Hotline on 07866 554142 (but don’t ask for Clarice).  Alternatively you may email starlings@rspb.org.uk