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Our garden has always had a thriving starling population, but it seems in the last week or so they've invited friends! At dawn and dusk the hedges are noticeably fuller than they've ever been. Yesterday morning I woke to what I can best describe as sounding like an Australian rain stick - a constant rain-like noise through the double glazing. Groggily, I opened the curtain to find out what was going on, and found a world wreathed in fog, and literally somewhere in the region of a thousand starlings turning every inch of our hawthorn hedge and pine tree black! I pulled back the net curtains to get some footage on my mobile phone, sadly spooking them, and they flew off in a huge cloud. They haven't been back in such numbers since, but the flock has been around enough that I'm sure we'll see them either in the garden or in the local area.
I'm just hoping we don't get an ASBO for harbouring noisy starling flocks!!
A closed mouth gathers no foot.
Heck Maisie, I hope they didn't try to take over your feeders!!! That would cost a small fortune in suet pellets!
What a wonderful sight - and sound!
Cheers, Linda.
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Wow!! Fantastic!! Not every day that you get that in your back garden!!
"All weeds are flowers, once you get to know them" (Eeyore)
My photos on Flickr
Wow! Very well done Maisie - they are fabulous photos. I hope your neighbours are noise tolerant (or deaf!!) as I get anywhere between 24 and 36 coming to feed and they really do make a substantial amount of noise - not to mention a substantial dent in the food provided!
The necessity of bird-watching is a really good reason for avoiding all forms of housework.
The dust will still be there tomorrow - the birds may not be!
Thanks for the compliments everyone :) Squirrel, we have a pub on one side of us, and I consider Starlings at Dawn a fair return for hearing a Bonnie Tyler classic murdered on a regular basis when they have a karaoke night. On the other side is a single Irish chap who says he doesn't mind wildlife noises (we had to apologise for having 4 noisy crows in an aviary on his side of the garden last year!) and to the back the closest houses are the ones in the photos. Hopefully they're far enough away not to mind the mob ;)
HI maisie,great photos you were very lucky to see something so great!
Karen F said: we have a pub on one side of us, and I consider Starlings at Dawn a fair return for hearing a Bonnie Tyler classic murdered on a regular basis when they have a karaoke night.
we have a pub on one side of us, and I consider Starlings at Dawn a fair return for hearing a Bonnie Tyler classic murdered on a regular basis when they have a karaoke night.
That's not only fair return - that's justice!!! LOL
Thanks for sharing your experience, Maisie. Great photos. Wonder if they'll make a habit of it!
They seem to be making a habit of it so far as they came back last night. I got some phone footage this time of them seeminly being hoovered up by the hedge :D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vqk7A3zmJ3I
WOW!!!!! What amazing footage. There must be hundreds of starlings in that. Very well done and thanks for sharing it.
Thanks for the video Maisie. Must be fantastic to see such a sight from your own house.