I'm sure that most of you will be aware of the fact that during the winter, starlings often gather in huge, swirling flocks, prior to going to roost and will often use reedbeds to roost in. You may also remember that last winter at Langford, we had approximately 15,000 starlings using our Phase 1 reedbed to roost in; that is before the big freeze put paid to it.
Well, despite the fact that part of our reeded area in Phase 1 has temporarily been covered over during our engineering project, Michael and I observed over 2000 starlings performing their pre-roost aerobatics last night, shortly before filtering in to the reeds in Silt Lagoons 5 and 6. This was made even more spectacular by the addition of a pair of hunting peregrines (the size difference between the sexes was quite obvious).
When we finally see an end to the unseasonally mild conditions that we are currently experiencing, then it's likely that the flock will be joined by many more birds too.
All of this action can be seen from the public footpath that runs along the north-eastern reserve boundary.
Also of interest at the moment is a barn owl that has been seen three times over the last week along the southern boundary of the reserve.