Sturnus vulgaris

European Starlings are small, chunky black birds with short tails, triangular wings, sharply pointed bills and have a purple and green iridescence to their feathers. European Starlings have white spots during the winter and they are glossy during the breeding season.

Murmuration Of European Starlings On The Wing

By |2023-12-16T03:55:57-07:00December 16th, 2023|Categories: Birds, European Starlings, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I wasn't the only person who noticed the huge murmuration of European Starlings at my local pond yesterday morning; other people stopped and admired them too.

The European Starling: A Tale of Two Continents

By |2023-02-10T07:11:25-07:00February 10th, 2023|Categories: Birds, European Starlings, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Three days ago, I took this photo of a European Starling perched on top of a crabapple tree with a brilliant blue winter sky in the background at a city park.

European Starling – My First Of Year Bird 2021

By |2021-01-02T06:21:44-07:00January 2nd, 2021|Categories: Birds, European Starlings, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The first bird I saw in 2021 was a European Starling perched on a power line on the road to my local grocery store about 8:15 am yesterday morning.

Seeing All Birds – European Starling On A Frosty Perch

By |2021-04-20T13:56:06-06:00December 12th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Davis County, European Starlings, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I have a backlog of raptor images I took earlier this week but I wanted to share one of a species that some people hate or many bird photographers prefer to ignore, the European Starling.

European Starling On A Snowy Winter Day

By |2021-04-20T13:59:31-06:00February 6th, 2020|Categories: Birds, European Starlings, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

When this European Starling perched in a Crabapple tree close to me during the snowstorm I was able to get a few photos of it before my hands started to hurt from the cold.

Cooper’s Hawk & European Starling Encounter

By |2024-03-16T12:48:46-06:00December 10th, 2018|Categories: Birds, Cooper’s Hawks, European Starlings, Lee Kay Ponds, Morgan County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Then the noise suddenly stopped and I saw the silhouette of a European Starling fly out of the tree with the Cooper's Hawk hot on its tail, literally.

European Starling Facts and Information

By |2021-04-20T13:06:04-06:00October 22nd, 2018|Categories: Birds, Davis County, European Starlings, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Personally I am fascinated by European Starling murmurations, their interesting, beautiful plumage and how they can mimic the calls and songs of other birds.

Some of the Birds That People Love to Hate

By |2024-02-14T06:28:20-07:00March 11th, 2018|Categories: American Crows, Birds, Black-billed Magpies, Brown-headed Cowbirds, Common Ravens, Double-crested Cormorants, European Starlings, Fish Crows, Florida, House Sparrows, Laughing Gulls, Mallards|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Okay, that is enough for now, there are more birds that people love to hate but I can only deal with so much of it before I feel the need to get out and photograph all the birds I see, even those that other people despise.

Adult and Juvenile European Starlings in Fall Plumage

By |2024-03-17T05:21:36-06:00October 25th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Davis County, European Starlings, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I have an alternate title for this post which is "Invasive European Starlings perched on invasive Russian Olives" because both the birds in this post and the trees are not native but introduced.

A Constellation of European Starlings and a Bison

By |2024-02-08T05:49:36-07:00January 9th, 2016|Categories: American Bison, Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, European Starlings, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I'm quite used to seeings birds and bison in close proximity on Antelope Island State Park not just during the warmer months but during the winter too.

Bison, Starlings, Magpies, Coyotes and a Mule Deer carcass

By |2024-02-08T15:44:36-07:00December 30th, 2014|Categories: American Bison, Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Black-billed Magpies, Coyotes, Davis County, European Starlings, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday was another interesting day on Antelope Island seeing snow-covered Bison, snowy weather, birds and spotting Coyotes at a Mule Deer carcass.

Bison And Birds On The Wing

By |2024-02-08T06:40:50-07:00December 6th, 2014|Categories: American Bison, Antelope Island State Park, Birds, European Starlings, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The light and clouds looked iffy this morning but Antelope Island didn't disappoint when it came to bison and birds plus some dramatic light.

An American Bison and the Great Salt Lake

By |2024-02-08T14:31:56-07:00November 23rd, 2013|Categories: American Bison, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, European Starlings, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I love to get images of the American Bison and the Great Salt Lake in the same frame especially if there are mountains in the background so I was happy to get the snow covered Wasatch Mountains and the Great Salt Lake in this image

European Starling eating Brine flies on the shoreline of the Great Salt Lake

By |2021-09-06T04:50:23-06:00June 21st, 2013|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Brine Flies, Davis County, European Starlings, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Last week I was photographing shorebirds and a Chukar eating Brine flies on the shore of the Great Salt Lake when this European Starling flew in and started to eat them too.

Birds and Bison

By |2024-02-08T14:14:02-07:00March 6th, 2012|Categories: American Bison, Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, European Starlings, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Certain species of birds ride on the backs of Bison and feed on the insects they find in the Bison's fur; European Starlings are among those birds.

Ride, ride, ride…Hitching a ride

By |2024-02-08T13:33:35-07:00January 26th, 2012|Categories: American Bison, Antelope Island State Park, Birds, European Starlings, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Since moving to Utah in the summer of 2009 I have wanted to get some images of an American Bison standing with the Great Salt Lake in the background.

Bye bye Blackbirds? The USDA is killing birds with DRC-1339

By |2022-06-18T07:31:59-06:00January 30th, 2011|Categories: Birds, Brewer's Blackbirds, Brown-headed Cowbirds, Davis County, European Starlings, Florida, Great-tailed Grackles, Pinellas County, Red-winged Blackbirds, Salt Lake County, Utah, Wildlife Ethics & Etiquette, Yellow-headed Blackbirds|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Recently the USDA accepted responsibility for a smaller die off in South Dakota which brought to light a little known program called "Bye bye Blackbird" which uses DRC-1339, a poison that is also called an avicide.

Four Eyes For Bird Photography

By |2024-02-23T06:39:41-07:00October 4th, 2010|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Black-billed Magpies, Davis County, European Starlings, Loggerhead Shrikes, Utah, Wildlife Ethics & Etiquette|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

One photographer might have better vision and be able to spot birds that the other person may not have seen. Four eyes are better than two.

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