Brockholes Nature Reserve

Starling murmurations are one of nature's greatest spectacles, and one of my favourite things about winter. Brockholes Nature Reserve is one of the best places to see them in Lancashire. Check their website for info.

The murmuration season normally goes from Early November to Early January in this location. The numbers gradually increase as the Winter solstice approaches. The size of the flock normally peaks between Christmas and the New Year. After that the birds seem to go elsewhere to roost. They may be starting their migration again, as the days grow longer.

To find out about the Brockholes Nature Reserve layout and location take a look at the Reserve Map

Many thanks to all the staff and volunteers of the Lancashire Wildlife Trust for their hard work at the reserve. Brockholes is owned and managed by the Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester & North Merseyside. Based on the site of an old sand quarry, the Trust has used their expertise to create habitats for lots of different wildlife.

To plan your visit, take a look at the Brockholes Nature Reserve website.



Where do the Murmurations Happen?

The murmuration locations are not completely predictable and the roosting spots can vary quite a bit during the season. The most common spot is at the top of Boilton Marsh, which is at the foot of Boilton wood.


View Larger Map

There is a fishing pond, known locally as Nook Pool, which is frequented by the Moor Nook Fishing Club.  This is towards the North Western corner of the site, adjacent to the motorway.  I tend to head to roughly this area and try and guess whether the birds are gathering in the skies nearby.  It can be a bit tricky to find a spot that doesn't have it's views obscured by trees.

When trying view a mumuration, my starting point is normally around the following (What3words) location: https://w3w.co/forms.surely.sentences



 

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Wonderful Starling Murmuration February 2022

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The Roost Site I visited Brockholes Nature Reserve in Preston, Lancashire on Friday 4th February 2022. Compared to the previous month, the numbers were still pretty good. I've been visiting this location for four or five seasons now, and this is the first time I have seen a Starling Murmuration in February there. I arrived a bit later than I had planned, and could see groups in the distance on my approach. I walked to my spot and caught the last seven and a half minutes on my phone camera. The recording started at 4:59pm. Quite often, the interesting 'shapes' are a side-effect of the starlings' reaction to a bird of prey chasing them. This happens at about 3:30 during this sequence. The weather mainly dry, but the wind was quite blustery. This tends to affect the movement of the birds in flight. As far as my location within the Brockholes Nature Reserve is concerned, I'm roughly at: https://w3w.co/video.lofts.cloth (What3words ref.) The Roost Site was still...
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