Dennis and Tweeters,

On a similar note, I have read that Cedar Waxwings will also forage or move
about in flocks while they are still nesting.

The fact that the starlings you have been watching favor the lawn as a
feeding area brings to mind my favorite starling control method: replace the
lawn with plantings and shrubs, and remove a principal food source for these
amazingly successful birds.

Regards, Bob Sundstrom
ixoreus at home.com

----- Original Message -----
From: "Dennis Paulson" <dpaulson at ups.edu>
To: <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Sent: Thursday, May 10, 2001 11:12 AM
Subject: starling behavior


> I have been seeing little feeding flocks of starlings around town, and I
> wondered why they were in flocks now, in the midst of the breeding season.
> The question was just answered for me.
>
> I have a pair of starlings nesting just above my office windows, so I can
> watch what they're doing. I'm looking out on a big courtyard covered
> mostly with lawn, and it appears to be a favored feeding place for
> neighborhood starlings. When birds leave the nest hole above me and fly
> out onto the lawn, they very commonly (not sure if it's invariably) join
> little flocks of starlings already feeding. There is plenty of open
> starlingless lawn, yet the starlings choose to feed rather close together.
> Apparently they are territorial when nesting but social when feeding, not
a
> common combination in passerine birds.
>
> The starling flocks are by no means stable, just birds constantly coming
> and going in all directions and forming and reforming flocklets. I just
> watched one of "my" starlings fly down and land right next to another, and
> they fed side by side for many seconds. I thought perhaps the bird it
> joined was its mate, but no, that bird then flew away. The lawn is
> obviously a rich feeding ground, as birds are coming to the nest
constantly
> with prey. Interestingly, one or more House Sparrows joins a little flock
> at intervals, and I think the sparrows may be stealing prey from the
> starlings! I'm fairly sure one darted up to a starling, grabbed something
> from it, and flew away.
>
> So if you see starlings feeding in little flocks, it doesn't mean they've
> already finished with breeding or don't intend to breed; they are just
> being starlings. This is a very watchable and interesting bird, and I
hope
> no one ignores them just because they don't like them.
>
> Dennis Paulson, Director phone 253-879-3798
> Slater Museum of Natural History fax 253-879-3352
> University of Puget Sound e-mail dpaulson at ups.edu
> Tacoma, WA 98416
> http://www.ups.edu/biology/museum/museum.html
>
>