Country diary: The new year shopping centre is packed - with hundreds of pied wagtails | Claire Stares

Whiteley, Hampshire: It's a remarkably mundane place for a large communal roost, but these birds are here for good reasonAt the heart of the shopping centre, a courtyard opens between the shops and restaurants. A row of ornamental silver birches rises from the concrete paving, their pale trunks reflecting the glow from the storefronts. I was passing through on my way to meet friends for dinner when a burst of sound pulled my gaze upwards. The crown of the nearest tree was alive with movement. Pied wagtails were arriving from all directions, tails flicking like metronomes as they congregated. The flock's chatter was punctuated by clipped, high?pitched "chizzick" flight calls, as more birds streamed into the roost site.Most shoppers hurried by without a glance. I had time to linger, so I leaned against a pillar and watched. For 10 minutes or so, the flock remained unsettled. Birds shuffled along the branches, displaced one another, then lifted together in a brief, swirling cloud before dropping into a neighbouring tree, only to rise again. Their white faces caught the artificial light, glinting like snowflakes. Continue reading...