I commented to CJ the other day that the starlings had deserted the garden this year. I regarded that as a Good Thing. I've never quite worked out why, on the whole, we like sparrows and greenfinches but dislike starlings and pigeons. I suppose pigeons tend to eat all in their path and lots of it which is expensive when they empty a bird-feeder is a few hours. CJ pointed out that, on the whole, they just peck around the base of the feeder clearing up the seeds which would otherwise sprout amongst the chippings. Starlings, on the other hand, just eat and squabble and defecate all over the place. Anyway the point was that the starlings heard me and within the hour had descend en masse. Spooky. They have, however, not been back. Just making a point I suppose.
Aaah now that is interesting. In our garden the pigeons and starlings are most welcome - a pigeon being one of the few regulars we had for the first few weeks after we moved in and the starlings descending rarely. It is in fact the sparrows and chaffinches that empty the birdfeeder in a matter of hours, but of course they are still most welcome.
ReplyDeleteCrows, however, are not in our good books after the last one to visit took away a slow worm in its mouth.
Our favourite character is a little robin, which makes such a racket when William is in the garden that he actually succeeded in chasing him back in the house last weekend.