Re: in defense of starlings was: fat birdies

Bonnie - even here in Texas/zone 8A, I generally feed the birdies from
around Thanksgiving until I plant my peppers the 1st of April. They're
so cute when they're plump and they stay warmer that way.



---------- Original Message ----------------------------------
From: "Bonnie M. Holmes" <holmesbm@usit.net>
Reply-To: gardenchat@hort.net
Date:  Thu, 23 Jan 2003 08:03:09 -0500

>And, starlings are great mimics...known for copying various sounds of the 
>city, are now mimicking cellphone rings!  Yesterday, near one of our 
>feeders we saw a magnificent pileated woodpecker.   This morning, I awoke 
>to another snow fall...second to fall this year...two weeks in a row on 
>Thursday.  Thought that I should have filled the feeders last night and 
>noticed the Auralie's comment.  Will start doing it.  I usually only fill 
>when the temperature gets very cold.  We have had such mild winters that 
>seed and insects have been available most of the winter.
>
>I harvested the last of my bok choy yesterday...have been covering it with 
>old blanket at night and on days when the temperatures stayed below freezing.
>
>Bonnie 6+ ETN
>
>
>
>At 05:45 AM 1/23/03 -0500, you wrote:
>>Aw now, I have to come to the defense of starlings.  They may make
>>huge flocks, but they're not all bad.  When you see them patrolling a
>>section of grass, they're after those big white grubs that turn into
>>Japanese beetles and other plant munchers.  Their heads cocked to the
>>side mean they're listening for the grubs; they can hear them moving
>>underground and those big long beaks are perfect for grubbing them
>>out.  So think of them as Japanese beetle killers and you'll think of
>>them a whole lot more kindly:-)
>>
>>Used to have a family of them that lived in our porch roof. They are
>>really quite handsome birds; iridescent plumage in the adults.  They
>>are also great mimics...their song is a compilation of about every
>>other bird in the area and their young are so goofy looking...I used
>>to call them all Cuthberts because of it.  Once several of them fell
>>out of the nest before they could fly and their solution was to
>>stretch themselves up tight into the nearest corner with their eyes
>>closed, rather like an the ostrich with its head in the sand...if
>>they could just mash themselves into the wood, nobody would see
>>them...we eventually screened in the porch and the family had to
>>move...I still miss them greeting the day with "their" song and
>>that's been years ago.
>>
>>It's not their fault that they are born to flock; that's their
>>nature...it's just us humans who object to it.
>>
>>Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
>>mtalt@hort.net
>>Editor:  Gardening in Shade
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>>----------
>> > From: Aplfgcnys@aol.com
>> >
>> > In a message dated 01/22/2003 7:52:10 PM Eastern Standard Time,
>> > richa@midlands.net writes:
>> >
>> > > some black with gold speckled really ugly bird e
>> >
>> > Starlings.  They're awful, aren't they?  And come in huge flocks.
>> > Some years ago I encountered a family from the Bronx who had a
>>really
>> > unattractive child (I know, all children are really beautiful, but
>>this
>> > little girl was fat and awkward), and her name was Starling.  I was
>>sure the
>> > people, who were perfectly nice, but having grown up and lived in
>>the Bronx,
>> > didn't know anything about nature, just thought they were naming
>>their child
>> > for a bird that they thought sounded pretty.  I hope this child
>>grew up to be
>> > a lovely woman, and calls herself "Star."  Auralie
>>
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>B
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--
Pam Evans
Kemp TX/zone 8A


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