You are most likely indeed hearing Evening Grosbeaks. Often sight unseen,
calls carry quite a distance and a small contingent could be high flying
over or just up in a tree somewhere carrying on. They have become an ever
increasing presence around the Lake Hills Greenbelt in Bellevue and even my
yard in Eastgate in the past couple of weeks, flyovers and even perched,
but any one detected presence at any one spot is pretty brief, often just
seconds to maybe a minute or two. I have never known or even heard Starlings
make such similar sounds, or at least none that might be convincing.

Richard Rowlett
Bellevue (Eastgate), WA