Starlings

As a kid,(I'm now nearly 80) I clearly recall their fabulous murmurations.
Flights of fancy: starling murmurations – in pictures
Since returning after 25+ yrs in Aus., I've not seen hide nor hair.
Location? Could be. I'm in west Cornwall.
One thing I have notice, these last few years, is that I get many more starlings in the summer with just a couple of residents that over winter.
Are they getting rarer or is it anouther sign of climate change?

 

Its bound to be climate change, everything is, I even heard someone trying to link the volcanic eruptions in Iceland to climate change the other day.

We have a fair few starlings around here but they move around in flocks, so a couple of times a day and then none.
Autumn we get lots, but I think some might migrate.

We have never had the murmurations around here that you see in other places.

 

"As the earth warms it expands and the surface either stretches or splits; if it splits the insides leak out."

 

Regarding starlings though, saw lots in the garden (Lincolnshire) in winter when I was growing up (60's to 70's).
Then there were fantastic murmurations around the centre of Newcastle (late 70's), they were roosting on the High Bridge over the Tyne.
Since then I've seen very few although I see the occasional group of ten to twenty around here. The only murmurations I've seen have been on film. I believe Brighton Pier, Great Yarmouth and somewhere in Somerset have large murmurations.
Also found this Starling Murmuration Location Map

 

There is a healthy population of around 150 or so locally and can get up to 20 in the garden if the bird table is filled. There was been a catastrophic decline along with House Sparrows in the last three decades and some areas are now devoid of both!!

 

It's a worry.
Last summer I had up to 20 sparrows at a time at the feeder. There was a whole flock that went from one garden to another. Might see 1 or 2 a day this winter.

 

The birds have come back to my feeders today, maybe its the colder weather, but I've hardly had to refill the feeders in three weeks, its only really the squirrels that are eating the seed.
Today the goldfinches have returned as well the sparrows and blue tits.


Not starlings but I must admit, starlings are the bullies of the bird world, all other birds hide up when they descend.

 

I'm sure there were more years ago.. we do see regular murmurations round here (Glos), and luckily we've had starlings nesting in the house roof for over a decade at least - they seem to do really well with their breeding, and we adore them! One is an absolute daredevil, he's like Jonathan Livingston Starling, lol!! (If you haven't read that book, you should.) They usually disappear for a few weeks after summer, but they didn't go last year. They come down for sultanas on the patio, and they all bathe every day, even when there are chunks of ice in the bird bath!

 

I had a Wood Pigeon and a Starling both in the bird bath side by side this morning , I have never seen them share before!

 

Starlings just don't care though do they? Bath time is bath time! Love 'em.