Starling murmurations are a true wonder of the natural world and the Avalon Marshes are one of the best places in the UK to come and witness this amazing wildlife spectacle.
During the winter, starlings eat seeds and berries up to 20 miles away before joining flocks in the evening and perform amazing aerobatic displays. Flocks provide safety in numbers for birds returning to roost, as predators find it hard to target individual birds. In addition, they benefit from the warmth of other birds and the opportunity to exchange information.
14 members and friends of the Civic Society Footpath Group witnessed this wildlife performance on 4th January at Ham Wall which is part of the Avalon Marsh.
It was a lovely clear afternoon with a brilliant golden sunset and the starlings displayed before roosting in front of us. We could hear the noise of their wings and twitterings as they settled in the reeds, 6 per stalk.
We were lucky to have chosen that evening as the RSPB volunteers reckoned it had been the best show of the year. We celebrated and compared photos at The Moon and Sixpence. A great afternoon and evening.
Report by Carol Wood.
Photos by Maureen Humphries and Ross Janes.
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