We may be in the depths of winter but a walk around Leighton Moss is a reminder that January isn’t always bleak! Scarlet elf cup are beginning to bejewel the damp floors of the reserve, while skeins of pink footed geese “wink wink” overhead. Our Senior Site Manager, Jarrod Sneyd, saw a single chiffchaff sat in the trees on Wednesday: while these warblers are mostly summer migrants, a warming climate means that some birds are overwintering in the UK – it is still unusual to see them at Leighton Moss at this time of year. Siskin and redpoll, a much more regular winter sight, can be seen hopping from tree to tree, while wildfowl such as pintail, shoveler and tufted duck are back in abundance now the ice has thawed.
(Photo by Jon Carter)
We often say that the starling murmurations are impossible to predict – and this week has reminded us just that! Last week, we saw large numbers of birds (c80,000) displaying over the main reserve, living up to their well-earned “spectacle” status. Just as they were seemingly finding a routine, and we were directing visitors to where we thought it was likely they would settle into roost, we were reminded that their behaviour is unforeseeable. As eager starling watchers took to the Skytower at dusk this week, the birds were conspicuous in their absence. Large numbers of starlings are still present in the area, and we hope that it won’t be too long before they head back to the reedbed to roost.
This week, we have Chris, our Membership Recruitment Manager, telling us a little bit more about starlings…
I have been fortunate enough to see some incredible wildlife spectacles in my time; White-tailed Eagles feeding in Scotland, Humpback Whales migrating off the coast of Western Australia, Bottlenose Dolphins off the coast of Yorkshire but my favourite natural phenomenon of all occurs here at Leighton Moss: starling murmurations.
The word “awesome” is perhaps one of the most incorrectly used words in the English language but once you have witnessed this natural fireworks display, there really is no other word that quite fits - the sound alone of tens of thousands of birds, all turning in sync, is enough to send shivers down one’s spine.
Whilst we are incredibly lucky to have these amazing birds bedding down here, this used to happen all over the country throughout the winter months and, sadly, no longer does. City centre skies would turn black as the starlings displayed before going in to roost on rooftops and church spires. There are even stories of them putting back time by four and a half minutes; in 1949 they landed on the big hand of the great clock of Westminster, slowing it down.
We have lost a staggering 66% of starlings since the mid-1970s.
The reasons for the decline in numbers are not clear but change in land use and agricultural pesticides are thought to be factors. Their main foods are soil invertebrates, and it is possible that numbers of these have declined or become less available throughout the drier summers we are seeing.
Alongside maintaining fantastic roosting habitats, such as Leighton Moss, the RSPB, in our work at Hope Farm, are looking at methods of agriculture that are less damaging to nature, then passing on the lessons we have learnt to the wider farming community and, very importantly, making a profit. We need food. We need agriculture. But we need to find ways of farming that work with, not against, the natural world.
This learning cannot come fast enough – the starling, amongst other farmland birds, has seen such a heavy decline in numbers that they are now on the conservation red-list. We are in danger of losing this breathtaking sight from our skies altogether.
It is only with the support of our members that the RSPB can continue this fantastic work, so a huge thanks to those who are helping us. If there are any readers who are not yet members, but would like to know more, then please do come to see us at the welcome hut, and we will be glad to speak to you. (Photo by Jarrod Sneyd)
I hope you get to come along and enjoy the awesome show soon!