It was only two weeks ago that I counted around 9000 starlings in the roost - most of the birds going into silt lagoon 6, with only a handful utilising reed at the top end of Phase 1 (where they started back in October). I was hopeful after this roost that numbers were starting to build - I was starting to wonder if we would reach the record of 40000 from last winter.
However this week there seems to have been a major reduction in numbers, with only a handful of birds now roosting across the whole site. A grand total of about 30 birds were counted by our Site Manager, Michael yesterday evening! This is in stark contrast to last winter, when numbers were still building up in December and counts of 20000-40000 were a nightly event, with the birds dispersing by about mid-late January.
So, what has happened? The simple answer is, we don't know! Two winters ago the birds dispersed early when their roosting area froze over, meaning that access for predators such as foxes and stoats became possible. We certainly can't blame freezing weather this year though, with temperatures of 14C on Monday! Could it be the opposite effect - could birds be dispersing for breeding territories earlier due to the warm weather? Could it be weather related, but due to the gale force winds we have been receiving lately - have they gone somewhere more sheltered? Is it due to subtle differences in the habitat within their roosting areas between winters? Have they simply found somewhere better?
Or is it a combination of these factors, or indeed none of them!?
If anyone has any other theories then please do let us know. And please also do keep an eye on the birds over the coming weeks. There is still time for the roost to pick up again before the main dispersal period in late January.
Some images from last week
Spot the starlings in the photo below....