They're Back...

Starlings. The new batch has been spawned, and they've once again taken over my yard and devoured the suet. I feel awful for the woodpeckers who come to the empty cage, but refilling it would be pointless. We'll have to ride out the invasion together.

For what comfort it can provide, here's a print by the great Charley Harper, who I featured today at Love in the Time of Chasmosaurs. Harper captures the feel of a mindless flock of starlings quite well.


From the official Harper website. It can be yours!

In last year's post I expressed my wish to get over my deep-rooted hatred of starlings. It hasn't really worked, but really, the problem is that there's just so many. I'd probably dislike cardinals just as much if there were two or three dozen of them raising a ruckus in my yard every day.

Starlings are the equivalent of a show that lasts much longer than the inspiration of its writing staff. My favorite birds are more like a Ricky Gervais show - they capture your attention when they're around and never overstay their welcome. Like catbirds. Damn, I love catbirds. Here's one.


Image by Ken Blackwell, via Flickr.