Somerset Levels (2): the reed beds

It's all about the reed beds. The Levels were first drained by the Romans and later by the Dutch engineers in the seventeenth century. The reclaimed land was mostly used for grazing. Now the revived and carefully managed reed beds, with drainage canals running through them, create a wonderful wildlife habitat, and are the magnet for the flocks of starlings (the 'murmurations') that create the spectacle in the evening sky.

The sepia effect of the photo below is caused purely by the very low sun glancing off the foliage and shining straight towards the camera lens - I haven't processed the image to look sepia!