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Saturday, October 16, 2010

Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris)

Disappointed by the lame wild bird photos I've been taking lately, I decided it was time to head into the countryside once more. I went out to Esquimalt Lagoon yesterday and gorged myself on the birds. I am sure these birds are aware that the lagoon is a migratory bird sanctuary since they seem to be less fearful every time I visit. The photo to the left will give you some idea of the richness and tameness of the bird population there. You can see two kinds of swan (Mute Swans and one black-billed Trumpeter), a Canada Goose (just behind the Trumpeter Swan), pigeons, a male Brewer's Blackbird (extreme lower right), mallards, and gulls. In other parts of the lagoon I also saw American Wigeons, Pintails, Killdeer, Great Blue Herons and a Belted Kingfisher. Above is my favorite shot of the hundreds I took. These are European Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) in their winter outfits, not perhaps quite as striking as their spring and summer coats but still beautifully patterned and displaying a shifting iridescence that always makes me slightly envious - we humans are such a dowdy bunch in comparison.

5 comments:

haideƩ said...

Nuestra belleza es interior, y aglutina toda la belleza que nuestros sentidos, engaƱosos por otro lado, son capaces de apreciar.
Me encantan sus pintas blancas. Es la primera vez que los veo con ese plumaje.
:)

Our beauty is inside, and brings together all the beauty that our senses, deceiving the other hand, are able to appreciate.
I love your white spots. This is the first time I see with that plumage.
:)

Dean Lewis said...

Great close-up of the two Starlings, back to back.
The diversity of birds is fantastic.
We are having a beautiful Indian Summer right now, perfect for adventuring.
-
Comments page has a different look today.

JoJo said...

I love the starling picture!!! It's brilliant! I love the green shimmer to their feathers.

Stefan Jansson said...

This is a great bird photo.

paul said...

Great choreography in the starling picture. Gorgeous shot.