What a noise ?

For the first time since the formation of the Starling roost at Venus Pools, I managed to be there as the roost started to form. The first thing noticeable was the noise from the trees in the car park, which quietened as soon as the birds left for the main pool area. This flock numbered around 500 individuals.

Arriving at the public hide it was evident that the actual numbers already in situ was very large indeed and every few minutes more small groups were arriving to join the twittering throng, the light was fading really fast as the sun dipped beneath the hills to the west.

On several occasions the whole group lifted for a lap of noise giving a fair display, mind you nothing like you would see at some the country's top roost sites.

Digital pictures at really low light are not pleasing at all as can be seen by the amount of noise present in the darker areas, but numbers can certainly be estimated from this.

Now to an exciting bit of news, I found two yes two Otters by the gap in the reeds opposite the public hide, thankfully there were others in the hide to enjoy this sighting. Now not having been there to take pictures although I had the machine with me, it was not ready to produce the relevant record shots. They had moved along the inside margin of the reed bed for some time before appearing for a little respite from the hunting, it was interesting to see part of their movement by small fish leaping out of the water to escape the sharp teeth approaching fast.

So it is worth keeping your eyes out for the unexpected.

See you there!

Paul