Move over Einstein, here come the Starlings

After watching the video of Einstein the parrot the other week, it was fun to see these posts of European Starlings by GrrlScientist.

Damer


and

Weewoo


I'm no twitcher, so correct me if I'm wrong, but starlings used to flock in hundreds of thousands over the cities of Northern England, their chatter clearly heard above the traffic noise and their effluvia a distinct menace to the unlucky pedestrian. I used to watch them wheel and flow in tight complex formations up in the evening sky, as both they and I journeyed home to roost. Now I see few if any in the city. What happened?

I watched a pair last spring, nesting under the eaves next door. So did my cats. Sadly, some of the 'doorstep presents' I received surely came from that brood.