BIRD: Starling
I only log birds spotted in our own garden and orchard. See the column on the left hand side to see how many I have spotted so far.
Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) are an unmistakable bird, which seem to be abundant everywhere. They congregate in large flocks, form formations in the sky (especially in Winter), and seem to often move as a pack.
As in the photograph below, they often swoop down en masse in the field, and walk around in a group, catching worms. Like many birds, they are very adept to this task, seeming to walk an inch or two, pierce the soil, effortlessly pull out a worm and continue.
They were kept as pets in former times in Europe, and Mozart even had one as his favourite pet, which he wrote a composition after. It was said it could sing some of his most played pieces. unfortuantely in some European countries, even to this day, they are eaten in stews and slow-cooked dishes.
In the UK they are a Red Species for Conservation, becasue although still great in numbers they have been consistentlly falling as more use of chemicals on farms reduce their prey, and also because outside of the UK they have seen a rapid decline in some areas.
(RSPB Illustration)
Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) are an unmistakable bird, which seem to be abundant everywhere. They congregate in large flocks, form formations in the sky (especially in Winter), and seem to often move as a pack.
As in the photograph below, they often swoop down en masse in the field, and walk around in a group, catching worms. Like many birds, they are very adept to this task, seeming to walk an inch or two, pierce the soil, effortlessly pull out a worm and continue.
They were kept as pets in former times in Europe, and Mozart even had one as his favourite pet, which he wrote a composition after. It was said it could sing some of his most played pieces. unfortuantely in some European countries, even to this day, they are eaten in stews and slow-cooked dishes.
In the UK they are a Red Species for Conservation, becasue although still great in numbers they have been consistentlly falling as more use of chemicals on farms reduce their prey, and also because outside of the UK they have seen a rapid decline in some areas.
(RSPB Illustration)
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