Tower and Town, December 2025 (view the full edition)From Waxwings to MurmurationsWinter is one of my favourite seasons. There's something truly magical about the crisp, cold, frosty mornings, and the golden light from the low-lying sun as it spills across the Wiltshire landscape, making everything shimmer with a delicate, ethereal glow. It's a time when the countryside around us feels calm and still, yet full of quiet beauty. The winter months also offer wonderful opportunities to get outside and watch some of the birds that have arrived to spend winter in the UK - from mixed flocks of finches and thrushes to winter visitors such as swans, geese, waders and owls. Some species travel from as far away as Russia and Siberia to spend the winter here. 
We occasionally experience an influx of certain bird species, an event that doesn't happen every year but occurs from time to time. Last year was a particularly good year for waxwings, as their food supply in Scandinavia had run low, prompting large numbers to travel to the UK in what's known as an irruption. Unfortunately, they didn't come through Wiltshire, but a flock of around 30 was reported nearby on Rodborough Common near Stroud. It was a wonderful opportunity to see my first ever waxwings. Every so often, the group would descend from the hawthorn trees to drink from puddles on the road. Their main food source is berries, and after consuming large quantities, especially those that have naturally fermented, the birds can become slightly intoxicated (they have even been known to fall out of a tree drunk) which is why they seek out water to drink to stay hydrated. Watching them that day felt like witnessing a scene straight out of a David Attenborough documentary; it was truly a remarkable sight. Also, at this time of year, I make a trip over to Salisbury Plain to witness another amazing spectacle, when thousands of starlings sweep across the Pewsey Vale at dusk to roost for the night. They travel in long, flowing streams, sometimes passing so close overhead you can hear the rush of their wings. As they gather, predators such as buzzard, sparrowhawk, and peregrine wait for their arrival. When danger is near, the starlings take to the sky in a breathtaking murmuration. A swirling, ever-changing cloud that makes it almost impossible for a predator to single out one bird. Occasionally, a peregrine will dive into the flock, seize its prey, and drop vertically away at incredible speed. Once the threat has passed, the murmuration funnels down in unison, as thousands of starlings pour from the sky into their chosen roost for the night. You can hear them chattering for a while and then it is silent, and you wonder where all those birds disappeared to. |
