Glastonbury Starling Murmurations

Glastonbury Tor from Westhay

One of the greatest natural spectacles in Britain occurs near Glastonbury. Each winter, as many as starlings descend upon the reed beds of West Hay and Shapwick Heath, and to settle down for their nightly sleep. They approach the beds from all directions and as they congregate in the sky above the reeds they form a visually stunning areial display that really does have to be seen to be believed.

West Hay

Such displays have always been popular but the public interest in viewing them have definitely peeked since Bill Oddie’s short film on the starling murmuration was screened as part of BBC’s ‘Autumn Watch’ TV series in 2006. Whilst this BBC film featured the starlings at in , such large displays can also be witnessed at several locations across Britain. Glastonbury’s starling displays number amongst the finest in the country and have, perhaps, been best recorded by local photographer on her excellent http://www.foxybiddy.com/ website.




It really is a quite remarkeable experience attending these starling murmurations. As the sun sets and the dusk begins to grow, the sky can appear quite empty. Then, from one corner of the sky, the first few starlings can be seen making their way to their nightly rests. Soon further birds appear, then more until the whole sky seems dotted with small black dots. At certain moments it is difficult to connect these moving patterns in the sky with the birds which create them and a quite surreal experience starts to unfold as their patterns swirl and shimmer and change form above and before the viewer.


Then, just as quick as it begins, the display fades as the starlings swoop down to the reeds to find a perch for the night and a chattering cacophany rises from their resting place as the birds communicate whatever business they have to share with their fellow bed mates.

Whilst the full spectacle of these displays can only be witnessed by attending the actual resting sites of the starlings, to kilometres from Glastonbury Town Centre, it can still be an arresting sight to catch glimpse of the huge flocks of the birds as they fly over Glastonbury Tor and Wearyall Hill and head towards the reed beds for the night.

The displays are best viewd on clearer nights during the months of December and January. More advice on the Glastonbury starling murmurations can be found on the http://www.foxybiddy.com/ website.