A small flock of European Starlings visits my feeders almost daily. Usually I see Starlings only once or twice a year during migration. They show up in such huge numbers that I have to cover all my feeders with garbage bags to encourage them to move elsewhere. A flock of Starlings can empty a feeder in an afternoon. And they really make a disgusting mess in birdbaths.
Fortunately I set up my feeders quite close to the window this year so all I have to do is wave at them and they scatter. On really frigid mornings I feel guilty and let them grab a quick bite to eat before I scare them away.
Rumor has it that European Starlings were introduced into this country in 1890 when 100 of the birds were released into New York’s Central Park. The head of the American Acclimatization Society (a group of European settlers) wanted to introduce all the birds ever mentioned in the works of their beloved William Shakespeare. Lucky for us, one of those birds was the Starling. I wonder, did Shakespeare happen to mention Japanese Beetles and Emerald Ash Borers too?
What started as a flock of 100 birds has now grown to over 200 million across the United States.