New kids on the block

It’s that time of year when you might start seeing some strange new birds in your garden. Newly fledged youngsters often look very different from their parents. This baby Starling for example looks totally unrelated to the dark, glossy, iridescent adult birds. Yet they fly together in formation, adults leading their offspring to the feeder and showing them what to do, the youngsters chattering and squawking, eagerly awaiting a titbit offered by it’s parent.

Starling, Sturnus vulgaris, juvenile perched on bird feeder, Norfolk, May

 

 

(Click images to view larger…)

If you like what you see, please consider sharing![social_share/]
UK & Eire Natural History Bloggers

 

Current favourite books, click for more info:




 

Similar Posts

  • The Littlest Dragon

    Ok, I admit it. Lizards. My favourite species to photograph. Don’t get me wrong, I love the hares and the barn owls too, but lizards, so full of character, so fascinating in their little macro world. It absorbs me, my attention, I could spend hours watching, yet to me feels like barely a few minutes….

  • Close encounters

    A dull and dreary start to the day at the Fen, with a heavy blanket of low cloud and mist. Nothing doing with the Sedge and Reed warblers, they were keeping low down in the reedbed, but still singing. Spotted the Little Grebe on his regular pool, shame there’s nowhere to get a clear view…

  • Short eared owl

    A wonderful first for me today. I’ve always wanted to see and photograph Short-eared owls, but I’ve never quite managed it, for some reason they have always eluded me. So today, on the advice of the wonderful and talented John Richardson (CLICK to have a look at his blog) I headed over to a beautiful…

  • Magic Macro

    Visited the Fen for the first time for quite a while yesterday, it’s looking incredible lush right now, and full of insect life despite the rain. The first find was this brightly coloured Common Blue Damselfly. There were quite a few of these around, this one is just finishing his aphid meal. Walking around the…

  • Sidetracked

    On my way to the Fen this morning I saw a sight I’ve been waiting to see again for several years. Over my local common, newly restored, a Barn Owl was hunting. The common has been rescued from overgrazing and uncovered from rubbish, the grasses and wild-flowers are beginning to flourish again. The hard work…

3 Comments

  1. They’re my favourites. I stopped counting at 27 last week there must have been at least 4 broods in the garden, they’re such fun to watch. This week they’ve learnt to feed themselves so not too dependent on Mum & Dad to feed them. What makes me laugh is that when one decides to have a bath they all do.

Leave a Reply