I hate Starlings

I hate starlings, I find they're extremely aggressive, crowd out the other birds, strip my feeder of food in an instant and yet .....

IMAGE LINK: https://www.flickr.com …32152412946/in/​datetaken/

European Starling 2017

...they're cute...

Nice iridescence.

haha- indeed

Yep, that's a starling!

Flyin' rat!!!!

nope...still just vermin.

nice job, they do make for a very nice subject in the right light and when they behave. really a pretty bird......at times

How can you hate that face?

dm1215al wrote in post #18241004
How can you hate that face?

Hmm, by knowing that this imported noxious species will stand over a purple martin inside it's next cavity and peck it to death...adults, fledglings, nestlings, and of course eggs, stand no chance against this killer. They seriously can affect the local native bird population. When their beaks have recently turned bright yellow they are the deadliest....it's breeding/nesting season for them *and* the natives.

Not just purple martins are victims...any other cavity dwellers that the starling wishes to steal a nest cavity from is in peril. Smaller native birds such as chickadees and tits are at the mercy of the smaller vermin...the European weaver finch, aka the white throated house sparrow, aka "the-cute-little-bird-with-the-french-fry-in-its-beak-at-McDonalds". This smaller flying vermin is also referred to as a flying mouse. They simply enter the smaller native species' next cavities and destroyed all the eggs...they have been known to kill the parents but mostly just bust the eggs.

Sorry to rant. Can you tell I don't like these birds. Oh, and I must say...Thank you, William!!!

Anyhow, it's a very good image of the European starling with all of it's Quaker State 30W-HD sheen to it....maybe we should say "EU Starling" now?

Unfortunately a lot of the 'vermin' have been the result of human meddling in the natural order of things - I can't hate something that, like the rest of us, is just trying to survive in it's circumstances. If habitat wasn't being destroyed and poisoned at such an enormous rate, the locals might have a chance. Twenty years ago I could go on a 50km drive in the countryside and my windshield would be splattered with bugs - I haven't had to clean it in years. The insect population is crashing badly IMO from chemical overuse here in southeast Canada.

I still like the little starlings though, many years ago I saw some huge murmurations, absolutely stunning sights. I miss seeing that.

Starlings aren't the only aggressive species either - hummingbirds are some of the most ferociously aggressive little birds I've ever seen, lol.

It is indeed a beautiful capture of the little bugger!

I guess cogongrass, kudzu, fire ants, and africanized honeybees are just trying to survive, too...

I agree with the problem of progress and pesticides really hurting our micro and macro environments but for these imported species I have no love.

greyswan wrote in post #18242929
Unfortunately a lot of the 'vermin' have been the result of human meddling in the natural order of things - I can't hate something that, like the rest of us, is just trying to survive in it's circumstances. If habitat wasn't being destroyed and poisoned at such an enormous rate, the locals might have a chance. Twenty years ago I could go on a 50km drive in the countryside and my windshield would be splattered with bugs - I haven't had to clean it in years. The insect population is crashing badly IMO from chemical overuse here in southeast Canada.

I still like the little starlings though, many years ago I saw some huge murmurations, absolutely stunning sights. I miss seeing that.

Starlings aren't the only aggressive species either - hummingbirds are some of the most ferociously aggressive little birds I've ever seen, lol.

It is indeed a beautiful capture of the little bugger!

And the most aggressive species of all ... humans!