European Starling eating Brine flies on the shoreline of the Great Salt Lake
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. I was surprised to see the European Starling eating brine flies because they are relative newcomers to North America and it seems that they have adapted to the hyper-saline environment around the salty lake and are taking advantage of the abundance of brine flies there.
Now I can add European Starlings to my list of birds I have observed and photographed eating the brine flies here.
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my European Starling photos plus facts and information about this species.
Good to know that SOMEONE is eating those pesky brine flies…I hope by the hundreds
Ilze, even with all the birds that do eat the brine flies there is an abundance of them, I am just very happy that brine flies don’t bite!!
That’s just the way I like starlings…salted! The starlings invaded our area years ago, forcing many of our native songbirds out…they gobble uo food, take over nesting sites and “decorate” everything under them. They are noisy and aggressive.
Thanks Patty!
Beautiful shot of the Starling, Mia! Their feathers are a really lovely mix of colors and in this light they are gorgeously iridescent.
Thanks much Lynn.
nice picture for this starling =))
here in migration, you can have thousands and thounsands in a flying cloug, very impressive
have a nice day mia ☼
Thanks Eric. We get those Starling murmurations in the fall & winter here too, they are hypnotizing!
Nice colouring, I guess starlings aren’t so bad after all.
Jane, they are even more flashy in the winter!
We don’t have Starlings here but I saw them in FL. It was a flying spectacle.
Maria, the Starling numbers in Florida are amazing!
The Starling is pretty bird, but, I wouldn’t have thought he want to eat salt. Have a nice time away Mia.
Hi Bob, the Starling is actually eating the Brine Flies, they exist in tremendous numbers near the Great Salt Lake because they thrive in the hyper saline lake.