It couldn't last for ever, and it didn't. The big Strumpshaw Fen starling spectacular is now over. Since Christmas, numbers of starlings gathering to roost have dwindled from 50 or 60,000 down to just a few hundred. Where have they gone? We don't know, but possibly further south as invertebrate food has become harder to find in the cold soil. Let's hope they come back in autumn 2012.
There is still plenty to see at Strumpshaw Fen, of course, with plenty of marsh harriers and usually one or two hen harriers coming in to roost, and regular sightings of bittern and otter. As usual at this time of year, the riverbank path is getting pretty muddy, but mud does have its merits, often revealing the footprints of some of our most elusive mammals.
Right now Buckenham Marshes is at it winter best, with thousands of wigeon and hundreds of golden plover and white-fronted geese, all frequently stirred up by a hunting peregrine or harrier. Its well worth a look, but wrap up warm!