Early to bed

Dashing home from work a few days ago, I just had time to grab my camera before heading straight back out towards the starling roost in Aberystwyth, the promise of a dazzling sunset impossible to resist! In hindsight I didn’t choose the best location this evening. From my usual spot on the wooden jetty, my…

The hunt

After several more enjoyable but underwhelming visits to the Aberystwyth starling roost, a few nights ago under crystal clear skies the starlings finally provided a glimpse little of the drama I have been waiting for all season. It was the unexpected arrival of a peregrine falcon that triggered this brief flurry of action. The starling…

A sky full of stars

‘You’re a sky full of stars. Such a heavenly view’ – Coldplay, A Sky Full of Stars After several unsuccessfully attempts leaving me feeling rather deflated with my efforts, a few evenings ago I finally enjoyed a ‘starling watch’ worthy of writing about. The skies were clear aside from a narrow belt of stubborn clouds…

Starling watch resumes

After a dismal day full of driving rain and wind it looked like any hopes of a decent starling watch this evening were dashed. Fortunately as dusk approached the weather turned and a few tempting patches of blue sky began to appear. Heading out at the last minute, I arrived at the pier just in…

My favourite time of year

As the seasons change and the residual warmth and vibrant colours of autumn are replaced by the chill and bleakness of winter, these darkening days signal the start of my favourite time of year for photography. The return of Aberystwyth’s famous starling murmurations. Each winter here in Aberystwyth thousands of starlings gather in huge flocks…

The show must go on

I knew tonight would be my last opportunity to see the starlings this year due to work commitments tying up most of my evenings, and the season drawing to a rapid close. As the days grow longer and with Spring just around the corner, numbers have already begun to drop off as the winter migrants…

A ray of sunshine

I almost didn’t make it in time to watch the starlings come in to roost this evening but after enduring what feels like endless rain and dull grey skies for weeks now, a break in the weather was just too tempting to resist. After a quick dash home to grab my camera I arrived at…

Ambush

Another cloudless and stunning evening in Aberystwyth drew me once again to the promenade for my regular ‘starling watch’. Conditions could not have been more perfect with crystal clear skies and the setting sun creating a beautiful backdrop of pastel orange and blue on which to capture the starlings throwing some shapes. After a slow…

Shaping up

Another evening, and yet another visit to the starling murmurations at Aberystwyth promenade. No two experiences are ever the same, and this is one of the reasons I am drawn back to watch the starlings time and time again. Conditions today were quite the contrast from just my previous visit with overcast skies and a…

Early birds

Starling numbers in Aberystwyth have been building for a few weeks now, the locals joined by their European cousins, migrants eager to escape the bitter cold of a scandinavian winter. As the population grows so begins the annual winter spectacle of our starling murmurations and certainly the highlight of my photographic year! During my first…

Shapeshifters

My final ‘starling watch’ of the season looked like it was going to be a rather underwhelming one despite an almost perfect golden sunset. Numbers were still impressive but certainly down from the previous weeks and the starlings flew unhurriedly, swirling slowly around the pier until they began to drop from the sky into the…

A flying start

Just a couple of days into the new year and already my photography is off to a flying start with yet another visit to the Aberystwyth starlings. I doubt I will ever get bored of photographing these beauties as each brings a different experience for the senses. You never quite know how the starling are…