Fall Flock Stops by for a Bath

A new visitor to the yard caught my eye this past week.  I'm think'n these birds must be on their way south for the winter as I've not seen them in the past.  They are European Starlings and from what I've read about them it seems odd that I haven't seen them before.

This is another of the imported creatures as discussed in this post.  In my efforts to identify the pictured bird I was surprised, when I came across the name Starling, to find pages and pages of blogs and web sites advocating the annihilation of the bird.  It appear the problem with this bird is it builds nests in man made structures, poops and "can overcome buildings," whatever that means. Some say it's the third trashiest bird alive after the pigeon and sparrow.  Glad they haven't met my neighbor or they would be advocating the annihilation of neighbors too. 

There were about 80 birds imported from Europe that were released in New York City's Central Park back in 1890.  These 80 +/- starlings are believed to be the descendants of the more than 200 million birds now making North America their home.  Personally, I would have to consider the possibility of, just maybe, someone importing a few since 1890 to add to the genetic pool.

In my ever so humble opinion the bird is pretty with fairly brilliant coloring even in black and white because the black is very black and the white is very white.  It's about the size of a Robin Red Breast.  I can't speak to it's demeanor but it sure is pretty to look at.  They have different appearances depending on their stage of life... fledgling, non-mating adult and mating adult.  Each stage has different colors and markings.

The starling is related to the Mynah Bird (sometimes spelled Myna).  If you've never seen a Mynah Bird they are quite entertaining in that they can mimic words and sounds similar to a parrot.  I've seen them at pet shops, fairs, circus side shows and have always been entertained and somewhat amazed at the abilities of the Mynah Bird.  I've read reports of starlings mimicking car alarms and sirens. 

One of the noted behaviors of the starling is the large flocks in flight and how they fly and turn creating complex shapes in the sky.  Something maybe even the annihilators might enjoy.

Another member of the starling family is the Grackle.  I first saw Grackles when I lived in Corpus Christi, Texas.  They were in the malls and grocery store parking lots awaiting cars to park.  Once parked they would approach the front of the car and pick off bugs that were smashed onto the car.  They were happy to get the bugs and you didn't even have to give them a tip.

Starlings appear to be adaptable, gregarious and entertaining at least to this observer... of course they don't live in my backyard either.