One of my favourites has always been the blackbird. Quite a plain bird, and the female could be described as quite dull, but I think that plainess is handsome. I like their character and their song. I like the way they follow me around the garden, hoping for a tasty treat to be unearthed. Another favourite is the robin, they also like the gardeners, and the possibility of a tasty morsel.
Garden birds are sweet, cute, pretty, majestic, but they can also be quite ferocious, and some of the most ferocious are starlings. They are definitely not sweet, cute or pretty. They are gawky, they don't sing, they squawk. THEY ARE BULLIES. They barge in, scaring the smaller birds away and take what they want. And their tyranny isn't confined to small birds, they intimidate each other.
Look at them, heads down, dive in. This feeder is meant for small birds to climb into.
However, much as I dislike them, I have to admit they are clever. I can't help admire them for their tenacity and ingenuity. Come the apocalypse these bad boys will survive.
~ Be safe and well ~
Polly x
The crows and blue jays are the bullies here. I wrote a post years ago about a crow who was harassing a deer in our backyard. He kept poking his beak into the hind end of the deer. It was rather shocking.
ReplyDeleteooh that's a horrid thing to do, I hope the deer was all right.
DeleteWhat a coincidence! My 95 year old grandmother and I were just having a conversation about starlings this afternoon! Little sparrow's had built their nests in my grandma's gutters, but the starlings had tossed them out! Grandma thought that was great! But it's not!! They came to Tenn. in the 1920's migrating from Central Park in New York where 100 birds had been released - now they are the second most populous bird in our state...their bullying ways have made them quite undesirable here!
ReplyDeleteSeems like they are universally disliked.
DeleteI am a great fan of Robins too, their red breast is such a delight on a cold morning to see. You managed to capture some great photos.
ReplyDeleteThank you Lorraine.
DeleteI love those female blackbirds too. They are quite pretty I think.
ReplyDeleteI don't think anyone likes starlings.
ReplyDeleteYou're right Debra.
DeleteIn the days past when we had a backyard and bird feeders, it was always an issue to chase away the starlings that would come and overpower the other birds and hog all the seed. I have nothing against the birds, but they really should learn to share.
ReplyDeleteThey never will though!
DeleteI also love birds. I haven't noticed any bullying birds in our garden, and I can't identify all the birds, but we have plenty of magpies, blackbirds and sparrows. We also have the occasional robin. The real nuisances are the pigeons, which happily crap on the patio.
ReplyDeleteI used to dislike pigeons with a passion but after watching an episode of the 'Yorkshire Vet' which featured a chap and his homing pigeons I kind of admire them now, they travel hundreds of miles back to their home, knowing exactly where they're going. They do make a mess though.
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