I live in South Yorks and have always wondered where our starlings are. With them being one of the most common garden birds on the recent survey, I can never understand why they don't visit since I've started feeding birds and seeing many species visit. I'm fairly new to bird watching but I could only remember seeing them up close once before! But then I was in Kensington gardens in London and out of nowhere they were sitting outside a cafe on tables in a flock, eating scraps and making lots of noise! It was stunning to think I hardly ever see them (or at least close enough to identify them I suppose), that they actually looked like I'd seen a new bird for the first time. Their shimmering coats were lovely and it was surprising to see how human friendly they are- is this a trait of theirs? Which is a worrying sign if they used to be so common?
Though I have now seen online that they are on the red list also? So maybe it explains why I haven't seen them around anywhere near where I live. But it does seem puzzling, so are they still visiting gardens but doing badly out in rural environments?
I'm sure there are some but any tips where to look, any particular nature reserves maybe? And since seeing them I've read about their murmurations, which seems to occur in October and I'd love to see one. Are there particular spots more likely to see them?
