Spectacular murmurations of thousands of starlings are holding watchers spellbound as the flock of birds swirls in changing patterns across the sky.
When last Friday’s display came stunningly close, above Bittern hide at Dinton Pastures, the watchers could hear the whirr of the birds’ wings.
The murmuration’s shape twisted and turned in constantly shifting shapes. Smaller flocks joined from all directions. At one point a sparrowhawk, seeking dinner, spooked the birds into a rapid change of pattern.
The dramatic finale came at about 4.10pm. Suddenly the entire flock of starlings plummeted down, in front of the hide, into the reeds where they would spend the night.
The chatter of the many roosting birds could be heard plainly. It’s thought more than 3000 starlings were involved.
Among the seven birders watching last Friday (Nov 1) was Alan Jackman of Wokingham, a member of Lavell’s Wetland Trust. The trust and Dinton Pastures Country Park manage the area for conservation.
“It’s nice to see them mass and swirl and spectacular when you see so many come down into the reeds to spend the night,” he said.
“They generally change their location but this is obviously a favourite spot for them.
“The sparrowhawks try to get them when they can, grabbing a [flying] straggler. They do the mass flying to confuse the sparrowhawks.”
The murmurations had started the previous week and were expected to go on during the winter. They had got bigger each year. The reeds made a secure spot for the birds, but this was not guaranteed. Mr Jackman had heard starlings squeal as a sparrowhawk grabbed them from the reeds.
Bittern hide, which is open to the public, is on Lavell’s Lake, north of Sandford Lane which goes from from Hurst to Woodley. The hide, a wooden building with viewing windows, allows visitors to see the birds without disturbing them. Murmuration is the name for a flying flock of starlings.
Details of Lavell’s Wetland Trust are by visiting https://lavells.org.uk
