Two carloads from Clevedon and a car of Nailsea Footpath group members set off to Ham Wall, which is part of the Avalon Marshes, on January 3rd to see the starling murmurations.

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 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.

On arrival at Ham Wall the carpark was full so we had to find carpaking on the road . We had never seen so many people when even the hot chocolate had run out!

It was a cold and cloudless afternoon and the setting sun spread the sky with a brilliant golden glow and ribbons of starlings flew overhead, shape-morphing into buckles and bows before roosting on the marshes We could hear the noise of their wings as they flew over us and marvelled at the shapes and sounds of thousands of starlings bedding down for the night.

A perfect Winter’s experience shared with hundreds of people, a crescent moon with Venus close by, starlings and frozen puddles.

Report by Carol Wood
Photos by Julia,