Visitors flock to see amazing starling display at Arundel

The huge flock of starlings arrives at the Arundel Wetland Centre at dusk, at first in small groups then flocking together to form a large group called a murmuration, which undulates back and forth in the air over the reedbed, in waves and swirls like pepper grains on the wind, before the birds suddenly descend en masse into the reed beds.

“The number of starlings arriving is growing every week” said Paul Stevens, Arundel Wetland Centre warden. “During our last recorded large murmurations in 2008 the flocks built up over the winter to reach over 6,000 by February. In the late 1980s numbers over 20,000 starlings were a regular occurrence on a winter day.”

This winter the starlings have begun gathering each day from 3.20pm, depending on the weather conditions. Currently there are 2,000-4,000 birds daily. Starling numbers should build until a peak in late February or early March.

The reed bed stores heat and provides shelter to help the birds survive in winter. The ongoing clearance of willow scrub this year has further opened up the reed beds at the centre, run by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust. The work have given sparrow hawks and other predators fewer places to perch to hunt the starlings.

The best place to watch the daily murmuration spectacle is from the wooden walkway at the refurbished Reedswamp exhibit in the reserve. The best place to hear them is to stroll along the reed bed boardwalk shortly after the starlings land.

Videos of the murmuration and landing can be seen on the Facebook page WWT Arundel Wetland Centre or on the WWTconservation1 channel on YouTube.