# Starlings



## rona (Aug 18, 2011)

My local murmuration of Starlings have increased in number quite substantially. 

A couple of years ago we had 7, now we have 20 and their chatter pierce the airwaves 

Are there any bird species that have increased in your area?


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## ameliajane (Mar 26, 2011)

Two years ago, when I moved into my house there were 8 sparrows, now the group has grown to about 15. I do feed them and so do at least 2 close neighbours. I love to watch the sparrows - they are so active. Lately they have been collecting up bits of dried grass and trying to strip bits of bark off the trees - they even squabble over the bits and snatch them off each other but they don't seem to do anything with them - and it's the wrong time of year for nesting - would love to know why they are doing this 

A neighbour a few doors down has the most enormous conifer. It towers over the houses and is home to a large flock of starlings. In the evening they all gather and do that swooping dance over the gardens before they all disappear into the tree for the night.


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## kittih (Jan 19, 2014)

I love watching starling murmurations flying across the skies.

We had lots of swifts this year which is great to see as theit numbers are generally low. Two pairs nesting under the tiles above the eves but they haven't used the nest boxes I put up yet


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## Cleo38 (Jan 22, 2010)

Starlings & sparrows here which is surprising as everywhere else these seem to be in decline.

I will probably be cursing the starlings in winter when they end up stealing my chickens food, costing me a small fortune!


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## ameliajane (Mar 26, 2011)

The riding stables I go to has loads of swallows every year - most of the stables have at least one nest and some as many as three. The nests are quite low down - many only just above head height - so you get a really good view of them. When the young are ready to fledge they are so big and the nest so small they're all practically falling out. And when they do fledge they always seem to do so all at once - the whole nest-full just suddenly burst out and they're gone. I've seen very puzzled looking parent birds arriving back with a beak full of food only to find a totally empty nest.


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## rona (Aug 18, 2011)

ameliajane said:


> The riding stables I go to has loads of swallows every year - most of the stables have at least one nest and some as many as three. The nests are quite low down - many only just above head height - so you get a really good view of them. When the young are ready to fledge they are so big and the nest so small they're all practically falling out. And when they do fledge they always seem to do so all at once - the whole nest-full just suddenly burst out and they're gone. I've seen very puzzled looking parent birds arriving back with a beak full of food only to find a totally empty nest.


That's one of those delights I have missed out on unfortunately. Watching birds leave the nest


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## Jonescat (Feb 5, 2012)

Not sure where our starlings have gone - we used to have about 5 but I haven't seen them all summer. Hoping they come back in the winter, and seeing as my cherry leaves are pink at the edges, I have just started feeding the birds properly again. I do wonder if it is our sparrows who are chasing everything away - they seem very territorial and because they live in the garden all year round are a big deterrent to everything else. (They moved in to the swifts nests in the eaves during one winter, and the swifts haven't been back since).


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## rona (Aug 18, 2011)

Jonescat said:


> Not sure where our starlings have gone - we used to have about 5 but I haven't seen them all summer. Hoping they come back in the winter, and seeing as my cherry leaves are pink at the edges, I have just started feeding the birds properly again. I do wonder if it is our sparrows who are chasing everything away - they seem very territorial and because they live in the garden all year round are a big deterrent to everything else. (They moved in to the swifts nests in the eaves during one winter, and the swifts haven't been back since).


Oh dear, you have some bully boys 

I often wonder if it's the shear numbers and intimidation from the Buzzards around here that are stopping the Red Kite from getting a foothold


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## rona (Aug 18, 2011)

On another issue. I've seen my local crows caching food but I've never actually seen them recover that food. I would imagine, that being the intelligent creatures that they are, they do recover it at some point, but has anyone witnessed this?

The OH said today, that if they don't recover all of it then you could feed them seeds etc that you want to plant and they could naturally disperse them 
he always comes up with weird notions


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## lostbear (May 29, 2013)

Jonescat said:


> *Not sure where our starlings have gone *- we used to have about 5 but I haven't seen them all summer. Hoping they come back in the winter, and seeing as my cherry leaves are pink at the edges, I have just started feeding the birds properly again. I do wonder if it is our sparrows who are chasing everything away - they seem very territorial and because they live in the garden all year round are a big deterrent to everything else. (They moved in to the swifts nests in the eaves during one winter, and the swifts haven't been back since).


Same here - last year the trees were full of 'em - now I hardly see any. Same with sparrows. When we moved here 35 years ago - not a single sparrow, but flocks and flocks of chaffinches - hundreds of them - they were lovely. Then they disappeared and we got sparrows, but now they have gone.

We've lost chaffinches, starlings, sparrows, thrushes (haven't seen a thrush for yolks) and even blackbirds, doves and feral pigeons.

We've gained magpies.

(BTW - I didn't know that the collective term for starlings was "murmuration" - thank you for this. Mr lostbear uses a much more salty one when they decorate the car :001_rolleyes


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## lilythepink (Jul 24, 2013)

It would seem this past year there has been more birds than I have seen for a long time.

We have swallows that nest in the outbuildings and they seem to be everywhere. The adults were dive bombing my cats in spring.

Crows are plentiful.....rare to see a magpie but have seen those too this year.

We have plenty buzzards but its very rare to see a kestrel...seen a couple of kestrels this year aswell.

Heard a woodpecker in some trees across the road from my house.

This last few days there have been thousands of geese gathering up to fly off to wherever they fly to....seemed to be a lot more this year than I have seen before.

Starlings make a nest in one of my chimney pots. and we have 3 robins that come into my garden. I thought robins were very aggressive and territorial so was surprised to see 3 in close proximity.

Have little wrens hiding in dry stone walls too.

and that's the extent of my knowledge of birds. so, any others and I don't know what they are


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## lostbear (May 29, 2013)

lilythepink said:


> It would seem this past year there has been more birds than I have seen for a long time.
> 
> We have swallows that nest in the outbuildings and they seem to be everywhere. The adults were dive bombing my cats in spring.
> 
> ...


Funny you should say that - I'd forgotten - we have goose flypasts early in the morning, honking away.


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## lilythepink (Jul 24, 2013)

lostbear said:


> Funny you should say that - I'd forgotten - we have goose flypasts early in the morning, honking away.


Its sad to see them go, love it when they return. would love to see what they see on their journey


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## rona (Aug 18, 2011)

lilythepink said:


> Its sad to see them go, love it when they return. would love to see what they see on their journey


Have you seen these? 
http://jdp.co.uk/programmes/earthflight


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## lilythepink (Jul 24, 2013)

rona said:


> Have you seen these?
> Earthflight | John Downer Productions


oh wow...thank you....totally amazing, will have a really good look later when my grand children have gone to bed. thank you


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## Valanita (Apr 13, 2010)

Goldfinches here. None, for years, then a pair, now in Winter we get 10+. They go off elsewhere to breed, probably in the hedgerows around the fields up the road, but they come back with young when it starts getting cold.


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## Valanita (Apr 13, 2010)

I wrote a poem about Starlings.....

http://[B]The Gathering [/B]

At a distance black snowflakes swirling in the air 
Then closer still changing like smoke clouds 
Thousands of starlings wheeling everywhere 
Gathering together to roost in their crowds 
Then down they go in a waterfall 
Cascading into the reeds 
All answering the call 
Like a broken string of beads


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## rona (Aug 18, 2011)

Valanita said:


> Goldfinches here. None, for years, then a pair, now in Winter we get 10+. They go off elsewhere to breed, probably in the hedgerows around the fields up the road, but they come back with young when it starts getting cold.


Yes, we've had a little group wintering around here over the last 2-3 years, couldn't hazard a guess how many there are though, they always seem on the move and there's quite a lot of cover for them 

Lovely to see that flash of gold on a grey winters day :thumbsup:


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