Our starlings are not out of the nest yet, but I was at a friend's stable today, and theirs most certainly are.Although, on form to date, they should not be... When it comes to flying, they are unsafe at any speed. But you can't fault them for trying!
In a group, starlings are called a Murmuration. And when we say group, we mean HUGE GROUP -- we never see them in these numbers here, just a few cleaning out the bird feeder, but this video from Marazion Marsh will give you an idea of just how huge these flocks can be. And will give you an appreciation of their amazing flight skills.
Our little guys have some learning to do...
Starlings are not native to North America. They were introduced in 1850, by the Acclimation Society of North America in an attempt to establish here all the birds mentioned in Shakespeare's plays. (Starlings are in Henry IV.) (and as an aside, no offence to the Bard, but if that is not the stupidest reason to introduce a foreign species to a region, we don't know what is)
They get a bad rap, generally, but it is not entirely warranted. You can find out a lot about them in this excellent article. In the meantime, when you see these little ones hopping out of the nest -- duck, because they can't steer... and are quite a few flight school sessions away from Murmurating...
That is a pretty foolish reason to bring in a foreign species.
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