Hebridean Starlings
Jonathan & Denise >
D > In the Outer Hebrides, starlings are generally resident year-round, and have developed into a sub-species of starling that retains its summer plumage throughout the year. As elsewhere, they are highly social creatures that flock together in large numbers as the sun sets. They often settle for the night amongst the trees in the walled garden, and on this occasion, having heard a lot of noise coming from the north-east corner of the garden, we went to the east bedroom to investigate. There were at least a hundred starlings settled on the old hawthorn tree, close to the garden wall. The weight of so many birds caused the branches to sag, and the noisy conversation was like in an old-fashioned bar just before closing-time!
J > It was such a striking scene, and a rare opportunity to capture a large flock from above, so I dashed (on tip-toe) for the camera and took some photos through the bedroom window. Expecting those images to be blurred by glass and raindrops, I very very carefully opened the window, slowly picked up the camera, framed and focussed the image, and … Just as my finger found the shutter button, something spooked the starlings and in an instant they were airborne. So, with no decent photo of the birds on the trees, I satisfied myself with commonplace photos of starlings in flight.
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Fabulous shots! And as a member of one of the most destructive species on Earth, I am reluctant to label any other bird, plant, or animal a nuisance.
J & D > Well said, Laurie!
The starlings in the US were from a flock of 100 introduced so a park would have all the birds mentioned in Shakespeare. They are now considered a nuisance bird that covers all of North America.
D >Thank you for your comment – that’s interesting. Starlings here, too were considered a nuisance until just ten to tweny years ago, when watching the ‘murmerations’ of vast flocks (tens of thousands) swirling in the sky became a subject of public wonder and awe. Now, they are better appreciated. The guano below their night-time roosts can be objectionable in certain cases, but it’s no great matter to persuade them to move on to where it will be less of a concern.