Your Wild Life Photos
- Thread starter DerAdlerIstGelandet
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michael rauls
Tech Sergeant
- 1,679
- Jul 15, 2016
Ya know I hadn't really noticed it but your right. We used to have giant flocks of those things here on so cal when I was young but now just a few here and there.
If I had to take a guess as to why I would say the discontinuation of Ddt use.
With the Kestral and Coopers hawk when ddt was being used and for a while even after its use was stopped Kestrals drastically outnumbered Coopers hawks as there diet doesn't consist of animals that build up as much ddt( which weekens egg shells). Once ddt was eliminated, at least for the most part, the Coopers hawk population bounced back and outcompeeted the Kestral population.
Now you see Coopers hawks everywhere and just the occasional Kestral, the exact opposite of what it used to be.
Just an guess that the same thing is going on with the Starlings and there natural competitors.
You both are correct.
I googled a British garden birds as i had a coal tit in my garden (i didnt know what it was) and a website said starling numbers have been reduced by 80%, i was shocked
a website said starling numbers have been reduced by 80%, i was shocked
That I did not know. I'm shocked too.
It is appalling that what was once a common visitor to most gardens should be in such dire straits. I knew I saw Starlings far less frequently but had no idea that it was as bad as that.
Cheers
Steve
michael rauls
Tech Sergeant
- 1,679
- Jul 15, 2016
It might actually be a good thing in a way. No one wants to see the numbers of a delightful bird like the Starling decline. However, if it's elevated numbers of the 70s and 80s were a result of it better being able to tolerate ddt or other pollutants than it's competitors, like the Kestral over the Coopers hawk in the example I gave abouve then the decline in numbers reciently could just be a reversion to more normal numbers( like the Kestral) as the pollutants have been cleaned up( at least compared to what they used to be) and competing species that were more sensitive to the pollutants have bounced back and are again using a larger share of available resources.
Don't know if this is the case but there are certainly many examples of this dynamic over the last few decades and if a species numbers declines as polution( which was/ is the main human generated factor affecting birds) declines also it would be my first guess.
mikewint
Captain
Being facetious Chris. The American 'gator' has the strongest bite of any living animal, darn close to 3,000 lbf. Wouldn't want even a 4 footer clamped onto my leg.
Gramps retired to Fla and every once in a while we'd see one strolling across the back yard. Many a person found an empty leash in the back yard where a dog had been tied out
Gramps retired to Fla and every once in a while we'd see one strolling across the back yard. Many a person found an empty leash in the back yard where a dog had been tied out
mikewint
Captain
Shirley you jest, the aptly named Sturnus Vulgaris is an invasive species introduced into the US in 1890 when Eugene Schieffelin enamored with the plays of Shakespeare released 60 pairs into New York's Central park. The idiot wanted to bring to America all the birds mentioned in Shakespeare's plays.
Starlings alone cause an estimated $800 million in crop damage per year.
Starlings selectively eat the high-protein supplements that are often added to livestock rations.
Starlings may also be responsible for transferring disease from one livestock facility to another. Tests have shown that the transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGE) can pass through the digestive tract of a starling and be infectious in the starling feces. They may also be involved in the spread of other livestock diseases, their role in transmission of these diseases is not yet understood.
Starlings consume cultivated fruits such as grapes, peaches, blueberries, strawberries, figs, apples, and cherries. They were recently found to damage ripening corn. In some areas starlings pull sprouting grains, particularly winter wheat, and eat the planted seed.
Starlings damage the turf on golf courses as they probe for grubs.
Large roosts that occur in buildings, industrial structures, or in trees near homes are a problem in both rural and urban sites because of health concerns, filth, noise, and odor. In addition, slippery accumulations of droppings pose safety hazards at industrial structures, and the acidity of droppings is corrosive.
Starling roosts located near airports pose an aircraft safety hazard because of the potential for birds to be ingested into jet engines, resulting in aircraft damage or loss and, at times, in human injuries. In 1960, an Electra aircraft in Boston collided with a flock of starlings soon after takeoff, resulting in a crash landing and 62 fatalities.
One of the more serious health concerns is the fungal respiratory disease histoplasmosis. The fungus Histoplasma capsulatum may grow in the soils beneath bird roosts, and spores become airborne in dry weather, particularly when the site is disturbed.
Starlings also compete with native cavity-nesting birds such as bluebirds, flickers, and other woodpeckers, purple martins, and wood ducks for nest sites. Where nest cavities were limited, starlings had severe impacts on local populations of native cavity-nesting species.
special ed
2nd Lieutenant
- 5,587
- May 13, 2018
They are just a Louisiana yard dog.
fubar57
General
michael rauls
Tech Sergeant
- 1,679
- Jul 15, 2016
Hmmmmm..........maybe not so delightful after all. Must admit my knowledge of Starlings is/was limited to that there kinda cute little buggers. I knew they were an invasive species and some people didn't like them because they had crowded out some native species( which seems to have largely abated now as Starling numbers are way down) which is why I said it may actually be a good thing there numbers have receded but I was unaware of how destructive they were.
mikewint
Captain
I am a big fan of the Purple Martin which, unfortunately for the Martin, tend to resemble the Starlings (flying Rats). Many times people wishing to control Starlings kill Purple Martins instead. Martins are insect eating birds especially the tasty mosquito. In an effort to attract Martins I've always set up nesting houses for them.
But, once you put your house up, European Starlings and English Sparrows (also released into Central Park by Eugene Schefflin) are probably going to be your first residents and major problem. Starlings quickly become a major problem around any martin site. They bother the martins by destroying the eggs and young and taking over the nesting cavities. It doesn't matter what type of housing you have, if a starling or sparrow decides it wants to nest in it, it will. The Starling is a very aggressive bird with a very strong, sharp, pointed beak and powerful body muscles. Thus they can inflict major damage on adult martins, their young and eggs. You can try to drive the Starlings off but they will still come back the minute your back is turned. They are very persistent and just will not give up once they decide they want to nest in one of the cavities. In close quarters, the martin is no match for them. Their destruction is total and if they can capture a martin in their nest, they will often kill the parent and baby birds by pecking them in the heads. No matter how many times I removed the Starling nests from my houses, they returned and simply built another nest. Starlings raise three, and sometimes four, broods a year and native migratory birds just can't compete with them.
But, once you put your house up, European Starlings and English Sparrows (also released into Central Park by Eugene Schefflin) are probably going to be your first residents and major problem. Starlings quickly become a major problem around any martin site. They bother the martins by destroying the eggs and young and taking over the nesting cavities. It doesn't matter what type of housing you have, if a starling or sparrow decides it wants to nest in it, it will. The Starling is a very aggressive bird with a very strong, sharp, pointed beak and powerful body muscles. Thus they can inflict major damage on adult martins, their young and eggs. You can try to drive the Starlings off but they will still come back the minute your back is turned. They are very persistent and just will not give up once they decide they want to nest in one of the cavities. In close quarters, the martin is no match for them. Their destruction is total and if they can capture a martin in their nest, they will often kill the parent and baby birds by pecking them in the heads. No matter how many times I removed the Starling nests from my houses, they returned and simply built another nest. Starlings raise three, and sometimes four, broods a year and native migratory birds just can't compete with them.
- Thread starter
- #512
We call them swamp kitties down here.
Saw a nice 10 footer today while driving along a Bayou on my way up to Baton Rouge today.
yeah Steve.
i used to chase them away from my bird feeder as around 10 or more would mob it and stop the other smaller birds from eating but after reading that i left them to it !
the smaller birds, Robins, coal and great tits, sparrows and another small brightly coloured bird i didnt identify learned to visit at different times
Karl
A european squirrel, photographed in Limburg:
fubar57
General
Great shot Marcel
Fishboy
Airman
Cooper's Hawk in a birdbath
fubar57
General
Love raptors of any kind
mikewint
Captain
Beautiful shots. Are the Tree-rats really that red? or is that a photo artifact. Back in Ill-Noise the town of Olney is famous for their colony of White Squirrels and about 200 miles from here in SW Missouri the town of Marioville has another colony. Local lore is that Olney "stold" their whites from here. They are true white and most are not albinos.
First time I saw one I thought it was a White Lab Rat until the tail appeared
First time I saw one I thought it was a White Lab Rat until the tail appeared
