51st: Far Ings – Lincolnshire

Another reserve that is as fantastic as its name. Far Ings is an incredible place, made up of lakes, reed beds, meadow and scrubland.

As a result of the fantastic management by Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust it’s been transformed from an industrial area (used for raw materials by the tile and cement industry) into an area thriving with wildlife. Bird life was everywhere and we had a wonderful time walking between the lakes and scrapes, spending many hours watching the wildlife.

In fact, our time there included a first for us both. We saw marsh harriers. Something that we were extremely excited about, but judging by the very relaxed reactions of the locals, I can only assume they are very common at Far Ings. That did nothing to reduce our own thrill at getting to spend so much time with these masters of the air. Watching them was like watching a graceful, surprising dance.

Far Ings saved it’s best until the end of our visit. As we watched the sun go down, starlings started to gather and we were then treated to one of our most loved wildlife spectacles, the starling murmuration. I’ve seen it many, many times on TV and had always wanted to witness it in real life. Having said that, I was quite relaxed about finally getting to see one. I thought I knew how I would react, I’d be impressed and would really enjoy it, but that would be about it. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I was extremely moved by it. There’s something about the movements, it’s almost magical. I was utterly mesmerised by it, so much so that I forgot to film or photograph it and that almost never happens. As it started, I filmed close up shots of the birds gathering and a marsh harrier and heron gliding past, intending to film the whole thing once it got going. However, once it did actually start, I
couldn’t think about anything else, I was completely lost to the experience.

Mesmerising.

I’d love to do a piece of art to try and capture the atmosphere of it, but it would need to be a very large piece and I would have to draw each of the thousands of birds individually. In short, I’m just not ready to do this piece yet. I’d need to be far more secure financially, as the piece would take many, many, many hours of work. In the mean time though, I have the drream and I’m going to hold on to it, regardless of how unrealistic it is.