This morning my subject is a European Starling in snow. I know some people hate these birds. I know some photographers won’t raise their lens for them. I do.
Winter European Starling in snow – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1600, ISO 640, +1.0 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
I took this European Starling photo four mornings ago after an overnight snowfall. The light wasn’t great when I took this image but I liked the intimate view I had of this starling as it walked around looking for ripe crabapples in the snow.
European Starlings are birds people love to hate
When I am photographing European Starlings I don’t think about them being invasive pests, I think of them as wild, feathered, living subjects. I am aware that some people consider them to be horrible pests that cause problems for our native birds. I simply can’t blame the starlings for being in this country because it was misguided humans who took them from their homeland and released them here in North America about 130 years ago.
I like the nonbreeding plumage of these starlings and how it appears that they have tiny white hearts all over their chests and bellies during this plumage phase. Those tiny hearts matched the color of the snow in this photo. This starling was right under a crabapple tree when I photographed it. The branches of that tree sheltered the ground below from the snow which is why I could see some grasses poking through the snow.
I enjoyed having this starling in my viewfinder and I’m happy with the images I took of it.
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my European Starling photos plus facts and information about this species.
I agree. It is not the birds fault that they were introduced. And they do have a beauty all of their own.
I hate the aggressive behaviour of starlings, fighting each other and every other bird, their mobbing and monopolizing of feeders but love the iridescence they display in the right light. My Bluejays patiently wait their turn at the feeders and if my lectures to the Starling crowd convince them to emulate the BJ behaviour I will consider myself a proper bird parent. 😁