Starling numbers increasing at Middleton Moor

The number of Starlings roosting at Middleton Moor is increasing. I went last night and had the benefit of a clear end to the day. Unfortunately most of the birds flew straight in to the roost site so there was not much of a pre-roost murmuration, but plenty of time yet and it's still an impressive sight.

Starlings flying to roost

It's very difficult to estimate the total number of starlings entering the roost. I've just counted the birds on the photo above and come to a total of 5875 birds, coloured in groups of 1000 birds.  This was just a part of the stream of birds from mainly west, north and north-east entering the roost. There does not appear to be many from the southerly direction. I would estimate the roost at present to be 100,000 to 150,000 birds.

Starling count in coloured groups of 1000 birds