A Starling Day

Friday October 28 

I'm fond of Starlings. They are characterful, active, family collective and very lovely in the sun in their breeding plumage. 


We're starlings, the misses, meself and the boys,
We don't go round hopin', we walks.
We don't go in for this singing all day,
And twittering about, we just squawks.


We don't go in for these fashionable clothes,
Like old Missel Thrush, and his spots,
Me breast isn't red, there's no crest on me head,
We've got sort of, hardwearing...dots.


We starlings, the misses, meself and the boys,
We'll eat anything that's about,
Well anything but that old half coconut,
I can't hold it still. I falls out.


What we'd rather do, is wait here for you,
To put out some bread for the tits,
And then when we're certain, you're there by the curtain,
We flocks down and tears it to bits.


But we starlings, the misses, meself and the boys,
We reckon that we're being got at,
You think for two minutes, them finches and linnets,
You never sees THEM being shot at.


So the next time you comes out to sprinkle the crumbs out,
And there's starlings there, making a noise,
Don't you be so quick to heave half a brick,
It's the misses, meself and the boys!

Poem by Pam Ayres

I think she gets them spot on. 

Today was notable for the seemingly constant hurry of large, small and medium groups of these birds, full of purpose for who knows what. The influx of Starlings from the Continent in Autumn is well documented, in full force today on a helpful wind.

After enjoying a coffee at Snettisham, watching thousands of waders feeding avidly on the invertebrates left in glistening mud by a fast ebbing tide, we made our way home along the coast. Although I do not have a sweet tooth, Lidl make a very toothsome flaky pastry apple turnover. Pam bought me one, along with a caramel YumYum for herself. These were eaten at Brancaster Staithe, a Herring Gull keeping its wintry eye on proceedings, hoping for a few crumbs. 

 


A short visit to Thornham Marsh along a muddy, puddle-holed track brought the enjoyment of watching Linnets, Goldfinches, Greenfinches and Reed Bunting washing in one of the puddles.Small interludes like this make our day. As did seeing Yellowhammer, Great Spptted Woodpecker and two Magpies on roadside telegraph poles, a hundred metres from home.

Holkham, viewed from a roadside gate, was the birding highlight of the day. The herd of lovely Belted Galloways were as close as they could be, down the track in front of us. Among them was a Grey Heron, a Great Egret and four Cattle Egrets. The latter kept appearing and disappearing, six were reported to-day (Saturday).



Tired, yet very happy and stiff after so long in the car, we hastened home to open a disappointing moth trap. Coastal moth-ers have been getting good catches of immigrants, most of them haven't made it as far as us this time. I have realised that I haven't posted a photo of, in my opinion, one of the loveliest moths. Merveille du Jour. We trap them most days at this time of year.



 

 

 

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