I had been intending to visit Otmoor for a while so drove over there this afternoon. On arrival I was told the car park was full but if I waited I would probably find a space, which I soon did as a lady was leaving. The car park is often full this time of year due to the popularity of the starling murmurations which occur just before dusk.
I hadn't decided whether to wait for a possible murmuration, as they are usually finished by now, but in the end decided that I would, as I only recently I had been recommended to see them at Otmoor. The problem is usually the difficulty parking in the relatively small car park, the long trek back to the car afterwards followed by delays in leaving because of the number of cars!!
The bridle path was extremely muddy due to the numbers of recent visitors and I was glad of my wellies but unusually I didn't see any little egrets but just a few lapwings, and canada geese and greylags as I walked along towards the hides. I stopped in at the first hide where there was only one other person. Seed is put out for the finches along the path leading alongside the hide and there were many reed buntings taking advantage of the free food. I also noted goldfinches, blue tits, a robin, dunnock and a single yellow hammer which flew past.
At the first screen there were several vacant seats and I spent the rest of my visit here, watching the antics of a couple of herons, as well as two marsh harriers which were frequently flying low over the reed beds. Teal and shovelers were swimming in the water in front of us but at a fair distance. In the distance a water rail appeared from the reeds from time to time, and a number of snipe were feeding at the edges of the pools. Sadly I didn't see the jack snipe which has been seen recently. As it grew closer to dusk, the sky started to turn pink and an almost full moon rose above the reed beds. Gradually more people appeared to watch the starlings which gradually came in increasingly large groups ready to roost. Disappointingly, however they flew over the top of the viewing area and swarmed in the distance behind some trees rather than in front of the screen! Some of us did leave the hide and managed to get a slightly better view but today they didn't put on much of a show. Maybe they have come to the end of their winter murmurations.
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