The starling, aka the common starling or, in the USA, the European starling, is a familiar bird. But you never see one hanging out by itself – they’re always out and about in flocks, swarming over lawns or on rooftop aerials. Even during the breeding season, flocks of brown youngsters, so different to the smart spangled adults, form crèche flocks, learning all about being a starling.
Starlings were one of the first birds that I noticed as a fledgling birder. At the tender age of five, and without a field guide, let alone a pair of binoculars, I recognised them in my north London back garden. Back then I named birds as I saw them, so starlings were christened ‘mummy birds’, while blackbirds I deemed to be ‘daddy birds’.
I…