Starling Roost November 10th afternoon

Moonrise over the reedbed

French Starlings

The Otmoor roost.

There is a starling roost happening on Otmoor but last night it was not spectacular and the birds failed to display any of their aerial pyrotechnics. I estimated that at least three thousand birds came in to the northern reed bed, as they arrived they dived straight in and the only flying that went on was a few metres above the reeds as they changed position within the reedbed. Perhaps it was the weather, very calm and clear, or maybe there is a "critical mass" that has to be reached for the event to be triggered.

I was in France earlier this week and there are very large numbers of starlings feeding on the cliffs around Calais and I saw one group of at least five hundred head out to sea in the direction of Dover. It suggests that there are still large numbers yet to arrive.

Three Goldcrests moving along the hedge were a bonus as I walked out to the screen and a Short eared Owl hunted over Greenaways. As the sun sank in the west the full moon rose in the east and lit the path back to the carpark. A Tawny Owl called from the oaks in the Roman Road.