Last week's post about the huge flocks of birds that I saw at Snettisham reminded me of the (possibly) equally large number of Starlings I saw in Somerset (that's in the SW of England) on the same trip.
The Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) is one of the 20 most abundant birds in the UK. But this bald statistic hides a considerable decline in population: at last estimate there were currently 1.8 million pairs of Starling in the UK, but this is less than 50% of the population that was present in the 1960s. The UK starling population UK has fallen rapidly, particularly since the early 1980s and continues decline. There have also be population declines in northern Europe. This is not a pretty picture for a once ubiquitous species.
In the winter (which is when I was in Somerset) the UKs population is increased by birds from continental Europe, and as this time they form large roosting flocks of up to a million birds. At these roost sites murmurations can occur - these are the flocks of seemingly coordinated birds that form rapidly changing patterns in the sky. The exact reason why Starlings behave in this way is not fully understood, but it seems likely that it is related to predator avoidance.
This murmurations occurred at Shapwick Heath Nature Reserve on the Somerset Levels. If you ever get the change to visit this reserve, or the neighbouring RSPB site, I would strongly recommend that you do so.
There were good numbers of starling about on the evening - as well as booming bitterns - but the sky was a little grey! Oh well.
These are some of the images I took on that evening.
As ever, to join in with WBW click on the link below. Cheers - Stewart M
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