Starlings are Crazy

It's a bright and sunny day in Northwest Illinois. The temperature is a balmy 18° F. Another great day for a bath.

A large flock descended upon my back yard.

They were dropping down from all directions.

Then up to the tree to dry off.

Or so I THOUGHT!

It was off to the roof for some snow bathing!

Starlings are crazy!

Brrrrr!!!

Crazy but cute! Fun shots.

Hey great capture. Funny how they can be both a nuisance and playful entertainers. That's positives side to them. ;) Love your SUN by the way.

Nice shots Mrs_Ed! They must have there own version of the Polar Bear club. lol

Man, on man, they got to be crazy to get in the frigid water.

I've only seen 2, yes two, since I started birding a few months ago. No wonder, Mrs_Ed has 'em all over at her house.

Hack

Feeling for you Marna! I haven't had too many visits from them since the Spring. Great pics!

Well oddly enough, those buggers were not interested in food. They just were there for the SPA facilities! I was most shocked at the snow bath though.

I know they are piggy at the suet, but I really do enjoy them. Besides being funny to watch, I love to listen to their little whistles and calls.

LOL...now I don't feel so bad! Great series Mrs. Ed.

The only thing I can figure is that they are still here at my house because the farmers here are still trying to get corn picked. So still lots of food in the fields and my feeders...HA!

ok...I hafta ask...do Starlings only get their spots in the winter? Every year there is a nest of what I thought were Starlings in the chimney next door but they don't have the spots. They sound like Starlings and they aren't Grackles...is there a spotless Starling??

yes. spots in winter. smooth and shiny in summer.

Edited to add the quote from Cornell

whew!! Thank you!! I thought I was going crazy here for a while...

Nope. you'll see their beaks change color too. They're yellow, they're black, they're yellow, they're black…

LOL!!
Maybe I'm too far North to see winter Starlings? haven't seen one since it got really cold.

Could be. I don't see the grackles here in the winter, though they are supposed to be here year 'round.

I had a Grackle in my feed area today but he took off before I got a pic, there are some that stay all year round here. I'll be looking for him for a pic.

What a fun thread, Mrs Ed. I love the one where you can see the snow being kicked up into the air. Crazy birds!

Threegardeners, There's no short supplies of Starlings up here, at my feeders. And I'm further north then you are. :)
Do you have a lot of snow on the ground?
Might be, they have ample supplies of food near farming area. I see them often on the power lines near farms.

Thanks Margaret. When I was out feeding the birds today, I noticed that the snow on the roof of the house in one area is all "messed" up, like a bunch of birds had been up there. I wonder if there was some bathing going on up there too. I have never seen this behavior before. what a hoot.

Wish I would have had a wide angle lens to show them all in the trees. And then POOF. they were gone.

I suspect the bathing, both in the water and snow, is an attempt to get rid of parasites (lice).

EEK. Lice! Poor things.

It has really amazed me which birds really like to bathe (in any kind of weather) in the pond. I've yet to see a chickadee drink or bath from the pond. Instead they prefer the shallow plant saucers for drinking. Maybe some just have more parasites? I had thought the bathing was to condition the feathers for the cold.

Great shots Mrs Ed! I was wondering where most of mine went to! I just have a couple now that are hanging around with the Brewers Blackbirds.

Yah Duc, they heard you were sick and alll came to my house instead. It's snowing today. I'm wondering if they'll show up for their afternoon spa appointment.

Very fun series Marna...great shots! We certainly have our share of those buggers, I finally had to put some of the suet in cages so the small birds could get some. I have never seen them act like yours...must be something in your water...LOL!!

I don't guess I have ever had any here.

Frank, that is another thing to be thankful for. Startlings like to sleep together. They group up in the evening and preform aerial ballets on their way to the roosting spot. It seems to me that all of the startlings in the county, or that end of the county all get together for this. I saw about a million? of them every evening on the eastern side of Lebanon, Missouri. It is an awe-inspiring sight. You tube has a bunch of films of them. Here are some google images: http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&rlz=1I7GFRD_en&um=1&q=starling+flocks&sa=N&start=18&ndsp=18

edited because I forgot to spell check...

This message was edited Dec 31, 2009 8:40 AM

This was so appropriate mrs. ed. Just yesterday (the 30th) when you posted, the biggest flock of starlings I've ever seen descended on an ornamental pear and crabapples in my yard. Clearly they were foraging, and landed everywhere - on the ground, all over the roofs just like in your pic. There must have been 300 of them. I was sitting at my computer, but was in the middle of the flock as they perched on the building, too. They flew like a single entity when they lifted off. Pretty amazing sight.

Your photos of the starlings were great mrs. ed! Sorry I didn't say so immediately. They look like they are having a blast both in the snow and in the pond. I'll bet your beautiful pond is popular! I see what appears to be a sparrow amongst the starlings in the first photo. Real fun to look at.

Thanks OP. They were back today, but not in the numbers. Mostly just them, house sparrows and dove taking advantage of the pond though.

Mrs. Ed, I've been enjoying your starling photos on other threads also. I have yet to see any where I'm living.
They are so fun to watch. :)

Thanks Claudcat. They are indeed entertaining. Have you seen that video of them flying at sunset in England? Quite spectacular.

We have so many here that the sky actually darkens when they arrive...LOL
Here are a few pics...

Arriving...

A few hundred perhaps?...and this doesn't show the whole yard at once...I should have panned out with the camera at the time...

by the birdbath...

Is there room for just one more?