Arbutus Berries

The leaves of Arbutus Trees (Arbutus menziesii) don't change color or drop in the autumn but the some of the trees salute the season by bearing generous clusters of bright red berries. These provide a colorful setting for an American Robin (above) and a European Starling (below).

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.

European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)

Here's another bird we often see here. It's the European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris). There are a half dozen sub-species and this is probably Sturnus vulgaris vulgaris, the Common Starling. They are not native to North America and are considered an "invasive" species. Despite that I find them attractive and they always seem to be making nice noises whenever I see them.

Although there are approximately 200 million starlings in North America, they are all descendants of approximately 60 birds (or 100) released in 1890 in Central Park, New York, by Eugene Schieffelin, who was a member of the Acclimation Society of North America reputedly trying to introduce to North America every bird species mentioned in the works of William Shakespeare.

As an introduced species, European Starlings are not protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Starlings are considered a nuisance species in North America. The birds, which travel in enormous flocks, often pose dangers to air travel, disrupt cattle operations, chase off native birds, and roost on city blocks. They leave behind corrosive droppings and hundreds of millions of dollars of damage every year. In 2008, U.S. government agents poisoned, shot and trapped 1.7 million starlings, more than any other nuisance species.(From Wikipedia)