Friday, February 03, 2012

Singing to the Moon

Today when we got home from the Seattle Boat Show, I heard birds singing in the trees behind Mom's condo. I had to go investigate.

I then had to go out and record their raucous song. They are new to our area.



I went to Cornell's All About Birds website and think they are European Starlings. If you think I made a mistake, I'd appreciate knowing what kind of birds they are. -- Margy

15 comments:

  1. Yes, Starlings, though I doubt they are new to the area - one of the most ubiquitous birds to be found. Not native, ie: European. Most people consider them pest birds, as they drive out the local songbirds. You may not have noticed them before, as they only tend to flock like in your video during the winter. Believe me, they are everywhere.

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  2. I think they are starlings too. We have been having huge flocks of them around the garden too.

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  3. Thanks Paul and Crafty Gardener. I remembered the sound from walks we would take along the street in Tempe, Arizona, when we went to USC games at Arizona State University. -- Margy

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  4. That sky photo is gorgeous! The moon, and the sunset colours behind the trees!!!
    Someone thought it would be a good idea to bring all the birds mentioned in Shakespeare to North America. The starlings and the English sparrows took over...

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  5. I love the pink in your photo!

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  6. Fabulous photo, Margy, with the birds and the moon. I love it.
    We have starlings here, and I quite like them, although of course I don't like them driving out all the songbirds. However, that was done here by a pair of Merlin Falcons a few years ago.
    My favorite thing about starlings is the way they walk. They make me laugh and laugh.
    I love the way the video ends with stills of your kitchen and your cabin. Your blue pump is wonderful. We had a green one at the bottom of our lot when we lived "on the hill" in Kelowna, BC, when I was a teenager. We kids didn't like the taste of the well water, but we all learned how to prime a pump.
    K

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  7. Nice shots. Love the pink in the first photo.

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  8. Nice sunset/Moon capture!

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  9. I love wildlife and identifying things but birds can be tough! Thanks for sharing :)
    www.forgottencompass.com

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  10. A gorgeous sky! Sunsets are my favorites. And it was fun listening to those starlings!

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  11. I love your sky photo. I did that the other day when I was out with the camera. No birds in mine though. Glad a couple of people came through to know what kind of birds they are. I had no idea.

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  12. Sounds like spring! Are you going to be there with Wayne at Village Books today? It will be the perfect time for you to finally get a chance to walk the boardwalk at Boulevard Park! And such a pretty day for it, too!

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  13. Thank you everyone for stopping by to comment on my SWF post. And thank you to Paul and several others for confirming that these were indeed Starlings. Since Thursday afternoon, they have not returned. Must have been the magic of the moon. - Margy

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  14. Watching the starlings is comical, but not when the sparrows are around and they become the bully boys of the garden!

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  15. Fascinating! Glad you are such a curious and capable video-photographer.

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We welcome your comments and questions. - Wayne and Margy