It’s bone-chillingly cold as we wait, scanning the sky over Ripon City Wetlands from a strip of land next to the River Ure. Arctic winds have brought an unseasonable plunge in temperatures for late autumn, and there are large stretches of ice in the reserve’s lagoon.

At 3.45pm, the action starts. The sky – a layer of orangey-pink around the setting sun, the lightest of blues higher up – is dotted with groups of starlings converging on the line of trees. They’re just dribs and drabs to start with, little flocks of 20 or 30 birds. But within a few minutes, the flocks are hundreds-strong, pouring in from all directions, then joining forces in a twisting, shape-shifting, aerial dance.

There’s a loud whooshing noise as they swirl and plummet into the reedbed - like water being sucked into a plug hole – then a chattering as the participants in this choreographed display become individual birds again and squabble over the best roosting sites. The process is repeated several times before tailing off after 20 minutes or so of frenzied activity.

Murmurations like this are thought to be used by starlings to confuse predators and share information among flocks. They often grow bigger - and more spectacular - as the winter progresses, and Ripon City Wetlands is a real hotspot: in February 2023 the site made national headlines when up to 250,000 birds congregated for mesmerising performances.

Tonight’s starling show is the grand finale of my visit to Ripon City Wetlands, but there’s already been plenty to keep me entertained during daylight hours. A few years ago, this site was a gravel quarry; now it’s been transformed into lakes and reedbeds teeming with wildlife.

I don’t manage to spot star turns like otters and bitterns on this trip, but I’m kept busy watching and photographing other species from the reserve’s two hides: four juvenile goldeneye ducks diving in the lagoon; a heron hunched glumly at the water’s edge; cormorants holding their wings out to dry; greylag geese honking as they take off and land.

There’s more aerial traffic higher up: curlews piercing the clear, cold air with their soulful cries; a couple of oystercatchers speeding past with a shrill call; a little egret showing up brilliant white against the blue sky.

Raptors patrol here too. A red kite circles before soaring away high above the lagoon. A few minutes later, a buzzard sweeps low over the trees on the edge of the footpath. I spot three more in the distance, plus a kestrel flashing past on a low-level mission.

Alongside the footpath, charms of goldfinches twitter as they perch to feed on the spiky seed heads of teasel plants, while reed buntings forage among the reedbeds.

Blackbirds balance acrobatically on swaying branches to grab red hawthorn berries or rose hips. One female watches me with her bright eye and clucks slightly disapprovingly as I take photographs of her feasting.

The berries have also attracted some of my favourite winter visitors: redwings – small, gorgeously-marked members of the thrush family – have made their annual journey from Scandinavia.

Like the murmurating starlings, they’re proof that short days and harsh weather can’t stop nature putting on a beautiful show.

*The Ripon City Wetlands car park is closed and locked between 4pm and 9am. If you want to view a starling murmuration, leave your vehicle in the car park next to the bridge on Boroughbridge Road and walk to the nature reserve along the riverbank or canal towpath.