There can be absolutely no doubt what our latest species of the week is, even though it's not one of the 70 species to spot that this series has been focusing on. This week I can't pick anything other than the starling.
Starlings have to be my favourite birds. I love the glossy sheen of their plumage, the comedy of their garden antics, and the incredible beauty and drama of their pre-roost gatherings, known as murmurations.
Starlings usually feature heavily in my Big Garden Birdwatch count, with the average flock size in my garden being 30 birds. Sadly, during the hour we spent counting yesterday they deserted us for pastures new. They just avoided a complete failure and big fat zero when three beautiful starlings dropped in with just a few minutes to go. Typically, there were 30 on the feeders a few hours later. C'est la vie.
Adult starling by Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)
However, even my regular 30 starlings pale into insignificance alongside the 30 000 that have been gathering over the Scrape and reedbed for the last few evenings. First reported on Thursday, but possibly present for a few days before that. they have certainly proved popular.
You can see a gorgeous video of the performance on Facebook or Twitter but it's much better if you experience the drama in person - especially when a peregrine or marsh harrier dives in to try to snatch a meal. We recommend that you arrive by 3.30 pm so that you can enjoy a coffee and cake before the show (from Thursday you'll have a bit longer as we revert to summer opening hours), then head out onto the North Wall ready for the 4.15 pm curtain call.
The show starts slowly, but as more and more starlings arrive, the drama builds until clouds of starlings dance and swirl around the sky. If you're really lucky and they swoop low overhead then you'll hear the whoosh of wings and twittering calls. I promise you that you won't experience such superb natural drama in such an all immersive way in the UK, except when watching these incredible displays.
Starlings at dusk - this is a much smaller flock a few years ago as I haven't been out in good light to see them yet
Of course, you may want to visit earlier in the day too, and take in some winter birdwatching. The Scrape is full of ducks, and there were an impressive 650 lapwings this morning too. We also had two avocets and four ringed plovers on the Scrape this morning - a sure sign that spring is only just around the corner. Further signs of spring come in the form of drumming great spotted woodpeckers and singing chaffinches in the woods, skylarks singing over the Levels, and abundant hazel catkins.
There are reminders of winter too: redwings in the woods, fieldfares near Island Mere, siskins feeding in the alders, the glaucous gull along the beach, 12 Bewick's swans and four goosanders making occasional appearances at Island Mere. Then there are our resident species: otter, bittern, bearded tit and marsh harrier in the reeded, water rail and kingfisher around the wetlands, nuthatch, treecreeper and goldcrest among the tit flocks.
But nothing can really compare to the drama of the evening starling spectacular. Hurry, while it lasts!