A Festive Mid-winter Roost

Bath Weir in the early evening

In the busiest part of the new Southgate Shopping Centre in Bath - and right next to where Santa's grotto was until very recently - stands a slim tree adorned with lights and silver baubles. The lights are tuned off but something still shimmers in the branches as night overtakes the late afternoon. More than a hundred little birds have chosen to make this their communal roost. They could not have found a busier part of town.

The little birds are pied wagtails. They are famous for their communal roosting in towns (and at Heathrow airport) and this is the first time that they have added to the Bath town decorations. High in the tree they are reasinably safe from the shoppers (and for the revelers who will come later this Saturday night) and the high building around will give some respite from the strong winds that have been blowing. It will also be a little warmer in the Southgate square than the surrounding countryside to which the robust little birds will disperse in the daytime.

Here they are:

Here is the tree.

And here is Bath Abbey