Sunday, January 22, 2012

European Darlings

I doubt many people think of starlings as being darling. They're noisy, aggressive, and a nuisance, especially in large numbers. They're not exactly graceful and they almost have a sinister look at times. Starlings are the black sheep of the bird world.


The one area I will give them credit is plumage.  At a distance, they're just black-colored blobs, but up close their plumage is quite striking. I wouldn't call it pretty, but it is unique. With that said, I still don't invite them to my backyard dinner table, but they tend to crash the party, anyway.











19 comments:

Liz said...

All that said, they are rather striking looking birds. They have beautiful deep colours and those white/cream/yellow tipped feathers. Very unique!
I have never seen them before. Thanks for sharing

Nancy said...

I love the rainbow of colors they possess. Great shots, Brian.

Deb said...

I love their colors we have tons of them here....did you know they can be taught to talk? found that out last year while doing a little research...they can also be pets...

Anonymous said...

Wow,I had no idea they were this beautiful up close, fascinating! I get these uninvited guest at my feeders EARLY in the morning, so I let them eat the left-overs, then go out and feed my regulars. :D

TexWisGirl said...

i love their peacockian, heart-tipped plumage. we don't get many here. i see them in town, though.

Unknown said...

Beautiful photos of these Beauties!
I have so far never been anywhere where they are in large numbers (at least not close enough to annoy me) ;-)

Adam said...

Wow they do look rather sinister

barbara l. hale said...

I think they are kind of handsome. Love these pics.

Carole M. said...

...shall we just call them pretty unique then? Fabulous photographs. Yes I reckon them like the Indian Mynah bird here, but these birds still have to find food and water too. Shame their inherent nature makes them so disliked. But I do LOVE your photos! Well done Brian!

Kerri Farley said...

I think they are Gorgeous! They visit my yard sometimes but are not pesky. I call them the "polka dot" bird :)

Tammy said...

Great close up shots! They are so interesting looking!

threesidesofcrazy said...

Beautiful captures! I didn't realize they had such diverse color.

Stewart M said...

Hi there - I have just returned from the wild, woolly and less that wonderful world of wireless only internet - so now I'm catching up.

Great shots of the Starlings – they have been introduced here as well. But I wonder how far people would go to see them if they were rare? People would rave about the plumage!

Cheers - Stewart M - Australia

NatureFootstep said...

this is probably the best Starling shots I´ve seen. :)

Lisa Sall - Sall's Country Life said...

Wow, I've never seen them this close before! Awesome photos!

Andrea said...

Hey, heybjk! haha, love how you call yourself, thanks for coming to my blog. But why do you call those starlings sinister? For me they are very beautiful, however we don't have them here. But we have starlings which are fully black with red eyes, i think they are more sinister looking!

Lina Gustina said...

Anyway, this bird is beautiful...

www.1sthappyfamily.com

Marc Heath said...

A very nice blog, some cracking shots on here.

Reena said...

I love their colors and you've shown them off beautifully!