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The Somerset Starling Spectacular!Tuesday 31st March 2009Due to a technical hitch on my web-site, I was unable to update final days of the Somerset Starling Spectacular. So now, it's a waiting game until it begins once again in the autumn. In the meantime below is a picture of a bittern, taken just a few days ago at Ham Wall, Somerset.
Monday 02nd March 2009This evening I set off to see the Somerset Starling Roost, knowing that the time is drawing near to the end of the roost for this year. Despite the weather turning again, I have noticed signs of spring ..... some of the coots on the nature reserves have already started gathering for their nests, the crows too, and also the garden birds are starting to explore possible nesting sites. Snowdrops are in abundance in many places and tiny buds are appearing on many of the trees and shrubs ..... soon, our little darlings will be off; the migratory birds will be returning to their native land, and our locals will be nesting. We will all have to find another topic to fill time, other than starling watching! Well, this evening the roost chose to settle at Ham Wall once again, but far over to the right as you look out from the first viewing platform. They chose a spot quite close to the main road through from Glastonbury to Meare, and must have provided quality entertainment for those driving along at the time! Pictures below all taken this evening (Monday 02nd March 2009)   Saturday 28th February 2009 Having heard and seen so much about the Taunton Starling Roost, and ( thanks to Steph and Fen) being able to pinpoint the location, I decided that this evening we would take a trip over to Taunton and see the Taunton Roost. We arrived at about 17.00 hrs, and ended up waiting until around 18.00 hrs before any of the little darlings showed up. This was the best display, in terms of their aeronautical performance, that I have seen this year, unfortunately my camera decided to play up at the most crucial time! Nevertheless, I did eventually manage to get it to respond, and was lucky to get a few pics, although nothing amazing! It was good to see the display, but numbers were not as high as Shapwick/Ham Wall, and I have to say, the location is SO different .... much more urban: and with noisy traffic whizzing past, the noise of the starlings was eliminated. I have to say, part of the enjoyment of seeing the starling roost down on the Somerset Levels is arriving early and wandering around the nature reserves, and spotting all the wildlife that make it such a wonderful place. I think that, despite such a wonderful display this evening, my old haunt will be my next port of call once again! Pictures below taken this evening (Saturday 28th February 2009) Starling Starling!  Starling Lips!  Starling Serpent!  Monday 23rd February 2009 The Somerset Starling Roost ...... a large number of birds at Ham Wall this evening, flocking onto the reed bed on the opposite side of the path to the first viewing platform. Although there were good numbers, the numbers are not as high as this time last year. This makes us think that their could be several roosts; there is definitely one in Taunton, perhaps some have returned to Westhay. If anyone can help with this we would be pleased to hear from them. Pictures below all taken this evening ( Monday 23rd February 2009)      Sunday 22nd February 2009 Plenty of starlings to be seen if you go to Ham Wall, although I feel that the roost is not as many as this time in previous years. Perhaps it has splintered into a few roosts. I have been informed that there is also a roost now in Taunton; perhaps this is where dome of them have gone! Pictures below taken on Sunday 22nd February 2009    Saturday 21st February 2009 Basically, the same situation as yesterday, so please read yesterday's log (below) for details. Pictures below taken today (Saturday 21st February 2009    Friday 20th February 2009 Once again, the Somerset Starling Spectacular continues at Shapwick Heath/Ham Wall. Massive flocks gathered around the area, some in trees, others in fields. And once again, the flocks descended to their roosts in several locations around this area, with a large mass of them heading off towards Shapwick Heath from the far side of Ham Wall. This mass exodus could be seen from the 1st observation platform at Ham Wall. Other flocks settled in areas around both the reserves. So, once again, it is pot luck as to whether you go to Ham Wall or Shapwick Heath .... it would seem that you will see some of the roost from either of these reserves, if their behaviour continues in the same way as the last few days. Pictures below all taken today (Friday 20th February 2009)     Thursday 19th February 2009 The Starling Spectacular continues, with as many humans as starlings flocking to the Somerset Levels to witness the spectacular free show. This evening, Ham Wall was the place to be, although a massive flock ascended from the far side of the water as you look out from the first viewing platform, and made their way over towards Shapwick Heath. Shortly after this, flocks could be seen appearing from all directions, so whether the massive flock roosted at Shapwick Heath, or returned to Ham Wall is anyone's guess. Eventually, their were flocks descending onto reedbed on either side of the Ham Wall reserve, some on the areas looking out from the screen hides in both directions, others farther away towards Sharpham. Pictures below all taken today ( Thursday 19th February 2009)      Monday 16th February 2009 After a very noticable absence, I'm back! Very briefly, I made it over to Shapwick Heath, on a bit of a guessing game. Once again I was given the runaround, as masses of them poured into Shapwick Heath, towards the front of Meare Hide, only to take off towards Ham Wall. I decided to follow, only to find that they turned back again. Unfortunately, unlike the starlings, I do not have wings, and by the time I had returned, I could see masses of them like huge black clouds disappearing in the distance behind the trees, to the front of Meare Hide. Unfortunately, I was unable to get much in the way of pictures, but at least we have a location for those hopng to spectate maybe tomorrow. Poor pics, but both were taken this evening (Monday 16th February 2009)   Saturday 07th February 2009 At last! The weather and driving conditions were stable enough to get over to Shapwick and see what was happening to the starling roost. Well, despite the bad weather that we have been experiencing the evenings are starting to draw out now, and the little darlings are arriving at approximately 17.00 hrs, give or take 5 mins. Masses of them gathered in the fields at the back of the nature reserve, as you look out from the first viewing platform at the Ham Wall Nature Reserve (for those not familiar with the area, this is the same location as Shpwick Heath, but on the other side of the road to the Shapwick Heath reserve car park, on the Ashcott Rd). Eventually they made a mass exodus across to Shapwick Heath, once again! No aeronautical displays to my knowlege unless they performed on arrival at Shapwick Heath. So .... where will they roost next?.... the choice is yours once again .... a little bit of guess-work, a little bit of luck and you might be in the right place at the right time! Pictures below taken this evening (Saturday 07th February 2009)      Wednesday 04th February 2009 Unfortunately, the adverse weather conditions have kept me away from observing the starling roost for a few days, as the snow and ice have made driving conditions quite dangerous, especially on the narrow unstable roads over the old peat moors to Shapwick Heath. More snow is forecast over the next two days, but it is uncertain as to whether this area will be affected at the moment, so we will have to wait and see! I did see some starlings gathering in the trees the other evening, so below is a picture that I took at the time!  Below .... Snow in the Bishops Palace Garden, Wells, Somerset.  Sunday 1st February 2009 Same as yesterday once again ( see yesterday's report, below) .... millions of the little darlings, arriving from all directions! Pictures below taken Sunday 01st February 2009   Saturday 31st January 2009 Millions of them ...... same place as yesterday, (Ham Wall RSPB Reserve). For anyone new to this, Ham Wall and Shapwick Heath are one of the same, divided by the Ashcott Rd. Ham Wall is on one side, and Shapwick Heath on the other. The old railway line which is now a path goes straight through the middle of them, and the car park at the Ashcott Rd end is also in the middle, serving both reserves. Although they were here tonight and the two nights prior to this, there is no guarantee that they will return to the same roost the next day, so be prepared to run over to Shapwick Heath if they fly on by! Pictures below all taken on Saturday 31st January 2009    Friday 30th January 2009 Apologies again, for lack of updates, but I can say that I made a very quick trip this evening, and the little darlings came in to roost at Ham Wall, being clearly visible from the second viewing platform on the left, down the main track at the Ham Wall RSPB reserve, that is, the reserve on the opposite side of the road to the car park at Ashcott Corner. I haven't had the time to upload the few pictures that I did manage to take, but I suspect that they will be very poor as the sky was grey and dull, so have added pictures taken on previous visits, to brighten up the page a little! Picture below taken on Somerset Levels about 2 weeks ago  Picture below taken last year  picture below taken last year .... hoping for some more of this in the next few days!  Monday 26th January 2009 Apologies to those of you who have been logging on only to find no updates. I have been busy with other commitments, also needing to spend time updating my web-site, as all It has been badly neglected over the last 6 months ( the only thing I have given my time to is updating the Starling Spectacular!). Well, I did manage to get down to Shapwick Heath this evening. I had heard that the starlings were still roosting to the front of Meare Hide, so walked along the main track up as far as the bench. And .... yes .... it started to rain AGAIN! I tolerated this for about 20 minutes, and then the starlings started to arrive. The first ones appeared to follow the ritual they have had for a few nights and disappeared to the front of Meare Hide, which is over the bridge to the right of the track. Then, I could see a continuous ribbon of the little darlings both in front and behind me, all of which were heading off towards Ham Wall! So, the question ..... where are Somerset Starlings roosting? I would say Ham Wall, AND also some on Shapwick Heath also! Pictures below taken this evening (Monday 26th January 2009)   Tuesday 20th January 2009 Exactly the same situation as yesterday ..... millions of them ..... same time, same place! Pictures below taken today (20th January 2009)  Below: swans are disturbed by the masses of starlings descending upon them!  Monday 19th January 2009 In a nutshell once again ..... the little darlings were at Shapwick Heath this evening, roosting on the reed bed in front of Meare Hide, which is situated down the track to the right of the bridge as you walk up from the main car park at Ashcott Corner, just up the road from the Railway Inn on the Ashcott Rd. Pictures below all taken this evening ( Monday 19th January 2009)      Friday 16th January 2009 After days of disappointing weather, I decided that I would make the journey over to Shapwick Heath and take a risk. The rain did hold off, so did the multitudes of spectators, with only a handful of people to be seen. I made my way up to the bridge along the main path from the Ashcott Rd car park, and at about 16.10hrs I could see some flocks arriving. They appeared to be going towards the area in front of Meare Hide once again, so I headed back down the track just up from the bench, where I could see the flocks arriving, only to skim across the reed bed at the far side of the lake, heading off towards the RSPB Ham Wall reserve! Although it stayed dry, it was dull and dismal, so nothing much in the way of photography this evening. So ..... once again, it seems that the Little Darlings are favouring Ham Wall this evening ...... but where will they go tomorrow? Who knows! No styarling pics this evening, so a few of my other pics to brighten up a dull day!  Somerset Tourist Guide ( Front cover picture by me!)  Tuesday 13th January 2009 Well, I am now seeing a likeness to visiting the theatre..... OK, so we aren't able to buy tickets for the upper circle or stalls, but we DO appear to have a choice of where we view the Starling Spectacular from! This evening, I can give you at least four locations from where to do your starling observations, and these are only the ones I could see for myself. Initially I stood on the main track at Shapwick Heath, about a couple of hundred yards down the track from the bridge, heading down towards the Canada Lake area. The first flocks to arrive appeared high in the sky and passed overhead, moving on towards Ham Wall. In the opposite direction, large flocks could be seen far in the distance, down towards Canada Lake Farm. I decided to move back along the track towards Ham Wall, and as I was walking back towards the bridge, many flocks could be seen overhead; some of which descended to my left, in front of Meare Hide, while others moved over to the right, settling in the area opposite the Scrape, but on the other side of the track ( I think this area is called 80 acre, or something similar!). More large flocks could be seen in the distance over Ham Wall.where they vanished into the distance, therefore one would assume that they settled somewhere on the RSPB Ham Wall reserve. So .... if you intend going off to see the Somerset Starling Spectacular in the very near future, it seems that you could see them at any of these locations .....all of which are based along the old railway track that is now a footpath, and stretches the whole length between the the two reserves of Shapwick Heath, and the RSPB Ham Wall! Good Luck! Pictures below all taken this evening (Tuesday 13th January 2009).       Friday 09th January 2009 Once again, the little darlings were a little unsettled, starting off towards the bottom end of Shapwick Heath ( towards Canada Lake Farm), with masses of them moving up the reserve in the direction of Ham Wall, over Noah's Lake then descending into the reed bed to the left of the path, just before the bridge. I believe that some may also have continued over towards Ham Wall, but this is a guess based on my own observations. This evening we were even treated to a little overhead "dancing" before they headed off. Unfortunately, visibility was not great once again, because of the cold air, so nothing special in the way of photos, I'm afraid. Plenty of them, but as they seem to be roosting in more than one place, it's not quite as "Spectacular" as in previous years, at this time of the year, nevertheless, still worth seeing! Pictures below taken this evening ( Friday 09th January 2009)    Thursday 08th January 2009 Shapwick Heath; Canada Lake Farm end .... probably a couple of million, starting to appear between 16.15 and 16.30hrs. One huge mass could be seen while standing near to the bridge at the turning to Noah's Hide. More and more joined, but the visibility gradually deteriorated as the air turned much colder and a stunning mist swept across the landscape. Despite this affecting the visibility of the Starling Roost, a stunning sunset with wisps of pastel shades of mist creeping eerily across the landscape, and blurry images as swans and cormorants flew across the skyline. Pictures below taken this evening ( Thursday 08th January 2009)   below .... a peregrine falcon appears above a flock of starlings    Wednesday 07th January 2009 I was unable to get out this evening, but many thanks to Richard who e-mailed me to confirm that about 1.5 to 2 million of the little darlings descended to roost at the Canada Lake Farm end of Shapwick Heath at around 16.15hrs this evening! Many thank Richard, I'm sure you've made life alot easier for me! Pictures below taken a few days ago at Ham Wall   Tuesday 06th January 2009 Oh, the Somerset Starling Roost is really frustrating me! Just when I think I have located them in an established roost they decide to splinter up and go off in all directions! So .... this evening ..... where were the Somerset Starlings roosting? Good question! They certainly begun to arrive at Ham Wall, many of them settling in trees out towards the back of the reserve as you watch from the observation platforms, but many of them then decided that they would move off towards Shapwick Heath. Others joined them, and more flocks arrived at Ham Wall, but settling on several reed bed rather than the same one. So, it would appear that you have, once again, got a choice of watching for them at both Ham Wall and also Shapwick Heath, although the exact locations will be anyone's guess! Who knows, perhaps some of them have gone over to Westhay. If anyone can enlighten me on this, it would be very much appreciated! Pictures below all taken this evening (Tuesday 06th January 2009)      Saturday 03rd January 2009 Can't tell you whether or not there is still a split roost, but I can confirm that there were MILLIONS of the little darlings still roosting at Ham Wall this evening. If there was still a split roost with some going to Shapwick Heath/Canada Lake Farm, it would be my guess that some, if not all of those joined the Ham Wall roost, as for the latter part of the evening, there was an enormous constant flow of starlings coming across from the direction of Shapwick Heath. Unfortunately, as I cannot be in two places at once (yes, it's true!), I cannot confirm my suspicions unless someone who was at Shapwick Heath kindly lets me know. As the evenings are now pulling out, and, of course, with such bright sunsets, the roost is now arriving after 4pm, and this will probably get later and later by the day, by about 5 minutes each evening. Pictures below all taken this evening (Saturday 03rd January 2009)      Friday 02nd January 2009 A beautiful evening ... AT LAST! So, off to Ham Wall to see what was happening there, starling-wise! Not a bad decision, I have to say. I was not disappointed .... millions of the little darlings coming in from all over the place! So, it appears that there are at least two choices of roost to watch; that is, the Natural England's Shapwick Heath ( Canada Lake Farm end), and the RSPB Ham Wall reserve ( from either of the observation platforms along the main track). For anyone attending the Starling Spectacular who has not been before, Shapwick Heath and Ham Wall are more or less the same location, with the two reserves being either side of Ashcott Rd. The car park on the Ashcott Rd serves both reserves, but their is limited parking. There is also parking at the far end of Shapwick Heath ( at the Peat Moors Visitor Centre; this IS signposted). The old railway line is now a path that runs right through both the reserves. Pictures below all taken Friday 02nd January 2009      Tuesday 30th December 2008 Starlings ...... what starlings? Yes, I was there along with a million other people with great expectations! A beautiful, but chilly evening to start with ..... then, second by second, it became chillier and chillier, and the visibility became murkier and murkier. We were standing along the main track from the Ashcott Rd car park at Shapwick Heath, quite a way down, past the bridge, where we could get a good view, should the little darlings turn up in the same spot that they have been frequenting over the past few days. But, still no sign of them by 16.15hrs! By now, visibility was getting worse by the second, and what had been a beautiful evening was now bitterly cold and murky! Eventually we saw a few small flocks pass over, and appeared to descend somewhere in front of Meare Hide, back over the other side of the track. Others could just about be seen in the distance way down the end of the track, but were just a grey blur against a very dull backdrop. So not a very successful "Starling Watch" this evening, I'm afraid! Unfortunately, no pics of starlings this evening due to the circumstances, just the the pictures below, which were taken this evening!   Sunday 28th December 2008 At last, I am able to get out to try and find the starling roost once again! A bit of guess-work, but, thank you, Terry, for letting me know that they were roosting down towards Canada Lake/far end of Shapwick Heath on Christmas Day. At least I had a rough idea as to where they would be. I decided to head to Shapwick Heath, and made my way along the track, eventually turning left, and into Noah's Hide. A beautiful cold, crisp evening, but when a few flocks did eventually come into view, they seemed to disperse into several directions. I left Noah's Hide and crossed over to the open hide that looks back up in the direction of Ham Wall. From here, I could see a continuous stream of the little darlings heading off in that direction. I left this location and headed back up the track to the main path, seeing small flocks appearing and dispersing all over the place! Eventually, having reached the main path again, I looked back towards Canada Lake Farm ( opposite end of Shapwick Heath/Ham Wall), where I could see masses of dark shadows making low shapes against a fast-fading sunset. So, it seems that whilst the bulk of them were going to Canada Lake, there were also others going off in the opposite direction, probably settling somewhere on Ham Wall. Pictures below taken Sunday 28th December 2008   Tuesday 23rd December 2008 I was hoping to get out today to see the starlings, but the weather was awful .... heavy drizzle, low mist and no visibility; so I decided it would be a complete waste of time, especially as I have so much to do: visitors arriving tomorrow for Christmas, and all that! So, for now it's just a "Merry Christmas from me and the Somerset Starling Roost" until such a time as I can get out to see them again! Adapted from an image taken in my garden last year!  Sunday 21st December 2008 BIG apologies for those of you who have contacted me, and those who are logging on for starling updates. I have had so many other commitments, plus family coming and going, that I have found it impossible to find the time to get out to see the Starling Roost over the last week. The weather here has not been brilliant: dull and damp, so any photography would have probably been very disappointing. Hopefully I will be able to carry on with my updates within the next few days. In the meantime, some pics I took earlier in the season, from Ham Wall, and our lovely little Shapwick robin!    Sunday 14th December Shapwick Heath ..... same place as the last few updates quoted below. The little darlings are just starting to perform some of their amazing Starling Spectaculars! Just for a change,lots of pics, less blurb! The picture below was taken as the starlings left their roost in the morning  Pictures below all taken on Sunday 14th December 2008        In a nutshell ..... same location as yesterday, (far end of Shapwick Heath, right down towards the end of the track from the car park at the Ashcott Rd end). Pictures below taken Thursday 11th December 2008  Short-eared owl   Wednesday 10th December 2008 This evening the Somerset starling roost decided to descend at the very far end of Shapwick heath, towards Canada Lake Farm. For those of you not familiar with the area, this is totally at the opposite end of the nature reserves from where they have been roosting over the last few weeks. Numbers are still increasing. Anyone wishing to watch needs to be around the area before 16.00 hrs, as this is the time they will start to appear, give or take 10 minutes depending on the weather. Pictures below taken on Wednesday 10th December 2008    Sunday 7th December 2008 Due to having many other commitments over the last week, I have been unable to do my usual standard of Starling Watch, so apologies for this. However, I did manage to get out on Sunday, but unfortunately left it a little late to secure a car parking spot, so had to make do with going to the Sharpham end of Ham Wall, and walking up the track towards Shapwick Heath. Also, having the dog with me limited my access onto the RSPB Reserve, so again, limitations affected any pictures, etc. I arrived near to the observation platform just in time to see many flocks disappearing overhead, heading towards Shapwick Heath. Others passed over their usual roosting reed bed, and crossed the track to the opposite side, some of them deciding to return back to their usual spot, while others settled in their new bed! So ..... where are the Somerset Starlings roosting? It seems that at the moment they are splitting thir roost, in my observations, sometimes a sign that they may change their roost. We will have to wait and see! No Starling pics today, just amazing sunsets taken Sunday 07th December 2008   Monday 01st December 2008 After not being able to get out to see the little darlings for a few days, I wasn't sure where they would be, so I took a gamble and assumed they were still roosting at Ham Wall. It was a well-calculated gamble, as this is exactly where they were, but they seem to be roosting on several different reed bed, rather than all gathering together. Nevertheless, still spectacular. Numbers still increasing, and, on a beautiful cold, crisp clear evening like tonight, it is always a delight and an amazing spectacle to witness the most amazing free show in Somerset! I personally much prefer this to a pantomime! Pictures below all taken on Monday 01st December 2008     Tuesday 25th November 2008 Same place ..... Ham Wall RSPB reserve, Somerset. Plenty of birds .... numbers still steadily increasing, and a beautiful fine evening to witness the spectacular, with clear skies and dramatic colour! Pictures below taken Tuesday 25th November 2008    Saturday 22nd November 2008 In a nutshell.... the starlings are roosting at Ham Wall RSPB Reserve, Somerset. Plenty of the little darlings, numbers seem to be steadily increasing day by day. View from either of the platforms to the left as you walk down the track at Ham Wall, having said that, they are flying in from all directions, so you also need eyes in the back of your head! Limited parking spaces, so car-sharing is a good idea. Pictures below taken on Saturday 22nd November 2008
Lots of spectators, and lots of starlings for them to watch! What more can I say, except for: Be sure to arrive as early as possible to avoid losing out on a parking space! Pictures below all taken on Wednesday 19th November 2008
Swan from Decoy Hide
A Shapwick Heath and Ham Wall! Possibly at Westhay also, but unconfirmed at the time of this report. Time to be there? 16.00 hrs
Many cars were in the car park on the arrival to the Ashcott Road car park at Shapwick Heath. As I walked up the path, I could see several groups of people already waiting. There are plenty of birds here; it is apparent that the numbers are steadily rising on a daily basis, and, despite the lack of light and dull grey sky, the sheer numbers made the flocks quite visible as they flew in. This evening, we were blessed with the presence of a buzzard that dipped and dived into the flocks that were settled on the reed bed, forcing them up like clouds of turbulent dust.
The clocks have now changed, so you need to bear this in mind, as this means that the little darlings are now coming in much earlier than on previous evenings. Be sure to be there about half an hour before dusk so as not to be disappointed. Still arriving at Shapwick Heath, this evening there was a little performance as the earlier flocks hung around in the sky waiting for more to arrive. The main track along from the car park on the Ashcott Road made a great place to stand and watch the performance which took place over the lake to the right of the track ("The Scrape", as it is known). The flock grew and grew as it moved from side to side above the lake before performing a few swirls, then descended down onto the reed bed. The best display I have seen this season I have to say, and I am sure that with a cold spell forecast, this can only get bigger and better as more and more migratory birds will arrive from northern Europe where the weather will be much colder. Pictures below all taken on Monday 27th October 2008
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