Swarm

We went to the Somerset wetlands at Westhay on the 28th to watch the starlings to come home to roost. There is an area where the tourists go but Deacon, my brother-in-law, knew a much better place that was much closer to where they were expected to arrive. They come from all over the south of England and start arriving at about 4pm.

Small flocks fly in from all directions and combine to make a massive swarm estimated at 7 million birds (flock would be understating it) The swarm completely filled the sky over the lakes and after about half an hour of flying around it started to land. Deacon managed to spot the area where the very first Starlings had landed so we made our way over to one of the many hideouts that had been built by the RSPB and the entire swarm landed right in front of us. It was about ten meters away from us in the end and the noise was incredible. The reeds were black where they had settled.

The photos honestly don't do it justice.