Starlings and speed birding in Wales

A business trip to North Wales gave me the opportunity to pop in at Conwy RSPB reserve this week.

It was getting late by the time I arrived, so I set off around the reserve at some pace. The main interest was the estuary, with hundreds of Wigeon, some Redshank and Lapwing dotted about, and a Red-breasted Merganser, not a bird I see too often.

But the real highlight was the Starling roost - thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of birds pouring into the reedbeds in ever larger groups, turning in the evening light and creating beautiful shapes in the sky. A nice way to wrap up a day's work.