Finally some settled weather saw me visit Minsmere once again primarily to see the Smew that have been resident there for the last few weeks but once again although the birds were visible they did not approach close enough for any good pictures. There is quite a bit of work going on at the reserve at the moment which may be related to BBC Springwatch being broadcast from here this season although this is yet to be confirmed but if this is the case things are going to get very busy in the coming weeks. Anyway back to my visit and though the ducks were being uncooperative the same could not be said for a pair of Whooper swans who in the late afternoon appeared in one of the pools behind the South hide coming quite close in the shade of some reeds. Soon these birds will be off back north to summer and breed in Iceland so I was glad to see them before they departed which could be any time soon with the warmer weather conditions.
After the swan encounter I made my way down to Island mere hide to hopefully watch the Starling murmuration that has been reliable for the last week or two. As dusk approached more and more people turned up in the hide to see the spectacle and eventually we saw small flocks of Starlings arrive from various directions before joining together flying over the reedbeds. Increasing numbers constantly merged with the main flock in the evening light stretching across the sky and just as the light was failing the flock compressed into a tight ball of an estimated 30-40,000 birds before diving into the reeds to roost. Although I have seen this sight before it never fails to impress and I am already looking forward to the next one.
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