Nikon D5300 | Tamron 150-300mm | @150mm | 1/500 | f/5.0 | ISO 800
European starlings are very common in our area. They are considered nuisance birds by most; I too get annoyed by them taking over my bird feeders! However, one day I decided to take a picture of a lone starling sitting near the feeders. What a beautiful bird! The coloring around its head looked almost like a blending of water colors. Although I will probably still get annoyed when the starlings swoop in on my feeders, because of their beauty I will find them a little more tolerable!
What do you think? Beautiful bird, or ugly little see stealer?
In My Eyes 
Starlings aren’t the rats of the passerine world everyone believes them to be. They’re smart, fast, can mimic just about any bird in their vicinity, and they really work hard to take care of their young. That iridescent sheen in their feathers can really be striking in the right light. But they can almost be invisible perched in a tree, which I guess is no accident.
Incidentally, did you know that Starlings love to find old, rotted utility or pier poles and make their nests in the top? I guess it is not different from a tree, but it is kind of amazing how they got that figured out. Utility poles are usually nowhere near trees (pier poles are in the water, for heaven’s sake), which means they’re a very remote target for any predator. Actually, unless you know there is a Starling nest in the top of one of those things, you’d pay it no mind. Very clever little devils.
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Thanks for the information Charles! I find starlings interesting creatures. They are fun to watch as they try to manipulate things to get their way. They were really prolific earlier in the spring, but they only come around every once in a while now.
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I can ship you a box of them anytime you want. They practically grow on trees in this place.
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This is a phenomenal photo Stephanie! I love the detail you captured around the head. Nicely done!
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Thank you Bill. Every photo is a learning experience; thank you for all of the help you have given me along the way!
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Beautiful, yes! And a great shot.
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Thank you! 🙂
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