Starling murmurations

Common starling (Sturnus vulgaris). Somerset, Sussex, Wales, Scottish Borders, United Kingdom.

Best time: 20 Nov – 31 Jan (November to January). Where: RSPB Ham Wall & Shapwick Heath, Somerset Levels, Brighton Palace Pier, Aberystwyth Pier, Ceredigion (United Kingdom). Time of day: Arrive 45 min before sunset.

• You can go on your own
• Low cost
• No binoculars needed
• Sound 4/5

Open it in the interactive calendarSunrise and sunset listening times for the day you pick, and the map.

When is the best time?

Peak: 20 Nov – 31 Jan. Late Nov to end of Jan

Active from 15 Oct to 10 Mar (October to March) in a typical year.

Time of day

Arrive 45 min before sunset; the flock builds from about 30 min before sunset and drops into the roost around sunset; roost chatter continues for an hour after dark. Dawn departure explodes in the 20 min around sunrise.

• Murmuration and roost: 45 min before sunset → 30 min after last light
• Dawn departure: 30 min before sunrise → 20 min after sunrise

What will you hear?

The whoosh of tens of thousands of wings turning together, then a huge chattering as they settle into the reeds or under a pier; the dawn explosion out of the roost is even louder.

Binoculars?

No binoculars needed. The flock is overhead and the roost chatter is beside you — nothing needed.

Where to go

• RSPB Ham Wall & Shapwick Heath, Somerset Levels — Up to several hundred thousand. The roost site moves — check the Avalon Marshes Starling Hotline. Busy car parks at weekends. Map
• Brighton Palace Pier — Urban: sea, promenade crowds and traffic, but the roost chatter under the pier deck is remarkable. Map
• Aberystwyth Pier, Ceredigion — Roost under the pier; waves and promenade noise. Map
• Gretna, Dumfries & Galloway — Huge flocks Oct–Nov; roost site changes year to year. M74 and the West Coast main line are close. Map

How to go on your own, and what it costs

Ham Wall / Shapwick: park at the RSPB Ham Wall car park (gate opens 05:00, closes 18:30–22:00 by season) and walk the main track; the reserve itself is free and the tracks stay open after dark. Phone the Avalon Marshes starling hotline for the current roost. Brighton and Aberystwyth piers: stand on the promenade, free, any hour. Gretna: watch from public roads and lay-bys around the current roost field.

Cost: Free; RSPB Ham Wall car park £5 for non-members (2026), members free; piers free.

Field-recording notes

For the wing sound get under the flight line, not at the crowded viewpoint. The settling chatter in the reedbed is the best close sound — stay put after the crowds leave; the reserve paths stay open after dark. A dawn session gives the reverse spectacle with almost no people.

Sources

• RSPB – Starling
• Avalon Marshes Centre

Similar spectacles

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More: all spectacles in the United Kingdom · starling murmurations · murmurations and roosts · the United Kingdom in January · the United Kingdom in November · the United Kingdom in December