On one of my recent urban birding adventures I came across a starling nest in an interesting spot.
I’m not sure what this structure is, maybe a vent of some kind. It’s on the side of a three-story apartment complex. It’s probably warm. With starlings in the Pacific Northwest, males choose the nesting site and use that as one of their assets in wooing the female. This nest was probably pretty attractive with its solid outer framework and indoor heating.
I wanted to get some good shots and maybe video from below, but the nest is right next to someone’s window, and I didn’t want to be that person lurking outside with a camera at sunrise. But I was able to get a video from a fairly decent vantage point to capture the sound of the babies peeping.
I noticed one of the parents had returned with a mouthful of grubs for the kids, so I backed away a good distance.
Unfortunately I think I really upset them, because after they fed the babies, they were making displays and yelling at me. This was the last shot I got before I got charged by this parent.
They came within about a foot of my head, then landed on a power line right above me.
I felt really bad. I forget sometimes that to these birds I am a gigantic, unknown creature, with a dog in tow, no less. I didn’t mean to cause such an upset, so I gave them even more space. That seemed to diffuse the tension. They joined a congregation of other starlings on top of a tall evergreen tree and hung out there for a few minutes.
I’m still learning the ropes on my new camera, so I practiced getting some shots of the parents in flight, delivering food to the nest. Most of them were silhouettes.
I also got some shots that reminded me that parenting, no matter what species, is hard.
I went back a couple days later to check in. There was one adult around, but they didn’t seem to be bothered by our presence this time.
I tried getting some more shots of starlings in flight.
Still learning.
From the Audubon Society I learned that starling nesting season in the Pacific Northwest spans from mid-February to early July, and that they can have two broods in a season. I’ll have lots of opportunities to work on my starling skills. I’m thoroughly enjoying the learning process.
Thanks for stopping by!
