Nature's Notebook

Over a century ago, so the story goes, a man named Eugene Scheiffelin came up with a scheme to introduce all the birds mentioned in Shakespeare’s writings to America.  His first import was a flock of 100 European starlings that were released into Central Park, New York City, in 1870.  The rest, as they say, is history.

I thought of this tale the other day as I was pumping gas in Millerton and watching a flock of more than 100 starlings feeding in the nearby shrubbery, busily polishing off the sumac fruits.  The European starling is now among our most abundant and widespread songbirds, a fact especially noticeable in winter when roosting flocks can number well into the tens of thousands of individuals.

While many people consider the starling a pest, one has to admire the bird’s adaptability and extraordinary success as a colonist.  Roosting in large flocks is one way birds have evolved to survive the winter, allowing them both to stay warm and, as a group, to locate foraging areas to exploit.

The starling is a stocky, blackish songbird, smaller than a robin, with a short tail and pointed wings that give it the appearance of a four-pointed star in flight.  The adult’s winter plumage is markedly different from its breeding-season appearance. 

The shiny, black iridescent luster of summer is replaced by duller gray-brown feathering heavily speckled with white.  Its bill, which is yellow in summer, is gray in winter.

Starlings are very vocal birds, given to constant chatter composed of crackles, squeaks, and whistles. A typical starling call is a loud “wolf-whistle.†Starlings are also accomplished mimics, capable of copying a wide variety of other bird songs and non-avian sounds.

Notes: We have received news of continued sightings of bald eagles around Lakeville Lake (Lake Wononscopomuc). The latest came from Walt Shannon of Lakeville, who saw a single adult while strolling on the Old CNE Road.

Fred Baumgarten is a naturalist and writer. He can be reached at fredb58@sbcglobal.net . His blog is at thatbirdblog.blogspot.com.