Murmurations 2026

I try and get out to view the murmurations every winter, either at Ham Wall or Shapwick Heath (there is a phone number you can dial to find out where they roosted the night before). I’ve blogged about it previous visits, and it really is phenomenal in person.

There is an unpredictability about each visit, they are wild animals so nothing is guaranteed. I visited twice this year, and the first time I saw some small murmurations, but from far away, and each time I moved, I still seemed to be in the wrong place. The second visit I hit the jackpot, as they were some of the best I’ve ever seen. They were flying directly overhead, thousands of birds all at once, in a thick constantly moving cloud. Often with different groups converging and seemingly flying in the same direction but also different directions at the same time.

Cropped in is the only way to really appreciate the scale and just how many birds there are in the sky at once.

When I thought they had finished and I started ambling my way back to the car, I spotted some people next to a small lake off the main path so wandered over to investigate. I found the starlings were swooping down low from directly behind, before sweeping past the trees, and heading to roost. This felt pretty special witnessing them that close at dusk.