Re: in defense of starlings was: fat birdies

Oh I do if a mama is nesting and keeps eyeballing the feeder. But
there's such an abundance of bugs and such by then, they're usually ok.
i keep an eye on my pals and they'll let me know if they're in need of
my services. Those feed dates below are every day feeding. I keep feed
on hand all the time though just in case.


---------- Original Message ----------------------------------
From: Janet  Laytham <jw.laytham@worldnet.att.net>
Reply-To: gardenchat@hort.net
Date:  Fri, 24 Jan 2003 07:01:06 -0500

>on 01/23/2003 10:46 PM, Theresa- yahoo at tchessie@yahoo.com wrote:
>
>> Pam-  I'm surprised you stop feeding during nesting season- I had always
>> thought this was an important time to provide an easy source of food- so the
>> parents are away from the nest too long.  Is this incorrect? or advise
>> changed?
>> 
>> Thanks for your input-
>> Theresa
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: owner-gardenchat@hort.net [o*@hort.net]On
>> Behalf Of Pamela J. Evans
>> Sent: Thursday, January 23, 2003 10:59 AM
>> To: gardenchat@hort.net
>> Subject: Re: [CHAT] 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
>>>> -----------------------------------------------
>>>> Current Article: Wild, Wonderful Aroids Part 3 - Amorphophallus
>>>> http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/shade_gardening
>>>> ------------------------------------------------
>>>> Complete Index of Articles by Category and Date
>>>> http://mtalt.hort.net/article-index.html
>>>> ------------------------------------------------
>>>> All Suite101.com garden topics :
>>>> http://www.suite101.com/topics.cfm/635
>>>> 
>>>> ----------
>>>>> 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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>Theresa, I agree.
>
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>

--
Pam Evans
Kemp TX/zone 8A


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