Murmaration...Martin Mere

I usually visit Martin Mere around this time of the year to see the North West Birdwatching Festival.It's a time to look at all the wonderful books for sale and to visit the local exhibitors and to bump into old friends and catch up on the birdy news. This year the Birdfair coincided with a large murmaration of starlings which were coming into roost at Martin Mere's large reedbed.So after a good look round the books etc I made for the Harrier Hide around 4pm which was when the starlings began to arrive.

The event had been well publicised and many birdwatchers were already in position at the edge of the reedbeds in front of the Harrier Hide.It took a while to build up but eventually approx fifty thousand starlings were putting on a flying display for the assembled audience.I have shown below my efforts at capturing the spectacle.Twenty minutes or so later and it was all over as the birds dived into the reedbeds.Equally impressive were the large skeins of geese coming in to roost at Martin Mere following their day feeding in the fields of West Lancs.It had been a memorable experience and I may return again to witness one of Nature's special moments. Thanks for looking in and I will be back soon with more of Lancashire's wildlife.