We normally get a nice mix of birds in our garden but lately since making our own fat balls we seem to be invaded with Starlings, they arrive 6 to 10 at a time, going crazy for this food but in the process they have scale battles with each other, never seen such a conflab in the garden. Trouble is all our little birds have 'flown the nest' so to speak :FIFangel: Any observations on this would be appreciated.
I get lots of starlings in my garden just after I put fresh food out. The only time they don't come in is if the pigeons get there first. Only after they've had their fill, do the smaller birds come along.
They are hungry - much of their feeding ground has been lost, and in some cases the food removed by treatment. The number of starlings is falling
"Long term monitoring by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) shows that starling numbers have fallen by 66% in Britain since the mid-1970s. Because of this decline in numbers, the starling is red listed as a bird of high conservation concern."
Take a pair of binoculars and look at them up close - they are some of Britain's most exotic birds.
We have been to see them flying in to roost a few times locally - a magnificent sight.
chris
When I first came to London there were huge flocks of starlings even in places like Leicester Square. Now we're lucky to see two or three in the garden.
Don't see sparrows now either. Very sad really.
Jx
I love watching birds and have been enthralled at some of the displays put on by the flocks of starlings over Salisbury Plain. They look like a great black ink cloud all whirling and swooping together. Having said that, I have been known in the past to see a starling in the garden and think 'oh it's only a starling' but I would now agree with Chris above - they are amazing birds and well worth a second look. And after all, they are surely as entitled to eat the food we put out as the more viewer friendly and smaller birds. They get hungry too. I think there are certain types of food you can put out and certain bird feeders that are easier for the others - starlings eat on the flat if I'm not mistaken. But if they're fighting each other, then they are certainly hungry.
I get lots of starlings in my garden just after I put fresh food out. The only time they don't come in is if the pigeons get there first. Only after they've had their fill, do the smaller birds come along.
I am really happy that I am feeding birds (any birds) I could watch them all day, even our dog goes in to a trance watching the squabbling starlings head butt each other :FIFangel: it just seemed strange when I heard starlings were on the decline to see sooooo many in our tiny garden, thing is ylangrose NO the smaller birds seem to have been frightned off now.
... it just seemed strange when I heard starlings were on the decline to see sooooo many in our tiny garden
I think you'll find the starlings have migrated here from Scandinavia an northern Europe, as do other birds. The winters here tend to be milder and more food available.
Starlings Come & Gone
We used to have a surplus of Starlings in our gardens about 20 years ago, and they were often thought of as a pest, but we have seen a decline to none at all, they have been replaced over the years by an increasing flock of Jackdaws, who we have seen actually kill other smaller birds by pecking them in the head, and like all areas we have seen a terrible decline of our friendly Sparrows. The good news about the Starlings is they have gone to our neighbouring Avalon Wetlands, where they join up with Starling Visitors For the winter to give the spectacular evening displays before diving into the their winter roosts, tens of thousands of them.
Peter