Day Sixteen - Fear

There are no photos today. I was able to look at the babies, and they look exactly the same as yesterday... the changes aren't so rapid now that they are nearly grown. But, they are extremely fearful of me (as they should be) and it seemed to really upset them that I was nearby. One actually flapped his way out of the nest onto the top of the propane tank. This is a very dangerous place for a baby starling who cannot yet fly, because it is slippery and round.

So, since I have no pictures for you today, instead here are some facts about starlings.

• Starlings belong to the family of birds which includes vocal mimics known as myna birds.
• Starling beaks are yellow during the spring breeding season. By fall the beak becomes brown, and it remains brown through winter.
• Adults can nest three times a year. The young fledge between two and three weeks of age.
• The young begin to fly between 18 and 21 days of age.
• Starlings were originally brought to the USA, to be precise to Central park in New York, from England. The reason is very poetic – there was an unfulfilled plan to introduce all the birds, described in the works of the famous British playwright William Shakespeare, to North America. In 1890 they were released first small flock of 60 starlings and the next year further 40 starlings. These days there are millions of starlings in North America, which are direct descendants of the initial group of 100 starlings.
• European starling chicks are helpless at birth. At first the parents feed them only soft, animal foods, but as they grow older the parents bring a wider variety of plant and animal foods.
• The most common animals eaten by the starling are centipedes, spiders, moths, earthworms. The most popular plants are berries, seeds, apples, pears, plums, and cherries.

Sad but interesting:
433.301 Starlings and crows; bounty for killing; resolution of board of supervisors.
Sec. 1. - Every person being an inhabitant of this state, who shall kill a starling or a crow in any organized township, village or city in this state shall be entitled to receive a bounty of 3 cents for each starling thus killed, and 10 cents for each crow thus killed, to be allowed and paid in the manner hereinafter provided: Provided, That this law shall not be obligatory on any county unless the board of supervisors at the October session shall adopt a resolution to that effect, either as to starlings or as to crows or both, and then only to the amount appropriated for such purpose by said board, and shall not be effective in any city or village located in any such county in case the governing body thereof shall adopt a resolution to that effect. History: 1941, Act 152, Eff. Jan. 10, 1942 ;--CL 1948, 433.301. (from http://www.outdoor-michigan.com/Weird_Laws.htm)


Click here to hear a starling.

Facts are courtesy of:
www.pleasebekind.com/starlings.html
http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/living/starlings.htm#facts
http://www.wildanimalsonline.com/birds/commonstarling.php
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Sturnus_vulgaris.html

Day Fifteen - Fortnight

Day fifteen and our babies are fourteen days old (cause I counted their first day as day one, instead of them being a day old on day one ... you get the picture.)

They are very much like adult birds. They are very frightened of me so my visits are incredibly brief. I don't know for how much longer I can take a picture of one in my hand each day, because I think they are really ready to fly away. I don't want one to fly off my hand before he is ready and possibly injure himself. I will be a little sad the day I find them all gone from the nest, but also really excited. Isn't it incredible how fast they go from a practically fetal state to nearly fully developed?

Day Fourteen - Adolescence

I think the birds are basically adolescents now. They certainly don't look much like babies though.
They are scared when I open the tank lid, but don't try to escape when I hold them. They seem quite calm in my hand. See how this one just perches on my thumb?





I think our bird journey is quite close to its end... a week more perhaps. Then maybe I will see them fly, and maybe next summer I will have grand-birds.

Day Thirteen - Wary

Oh my, the babies were really, really mad at me today!! They are suddenly very wary of me. They screech their heads off and climb out of the nest, in between the nest and the tank lid. They'd settle down for a second and then one would start hollering ,which would make the other three start hollering too. You can see them trying to get away from me above.

We have major feather progress today, as you can see from the photos. But what is up with the tufts on his head?










The Audobon Society classifies starlings as perching birds, and I can certainly see why. When I pick them up, they cling to me just like a pet bird.

And lastly, a video! This is the babies screeching and trying to get away. The sound isn't as distorted this time either, so you can really hear their prrr-eeps.




I can sort of understand why people would want to keep a starling as a pet. They are so helpless, and its a truly awesome feeling to hold a wild bird. But as William Blake wrote - "A Robin Redbreast in a cage... puts all of heaven in a rage." I know a starling is not as pretty as a robin, or welcomed in spring like the robin, but I think Blake meant all birds. If he didn't, well, I do.

Day Twelve - Sleepy

I got to the babies late today and they were all sleeping in the nest, cuddled with each other. Today I noticed what a mess the nest has become. When we first started the starling journey, it was a nice cup shaped nest. Now its quite flat. The egg that never hatched is gone, I am assuming one of the parents removed it. It isn't anywhere near the propane tank that I can see though.

I took lots of pictures of this baby, to show you how his beak has changed. He looks kind of normal now, doesn't he? No longer our little comical joker babies.

Day Eleven - Growth

The babies aren't really like babies anymore. The changes haven't been tremendous in the last few days, except for behavior. They really want to perch on my finger when I pick them up, and they flap their wings and move their bodies like adult birds.

We have quite a bit of feather progress today too - definitely still pinfeathers, but they are really starting to open up.

Day Ten - Feather Progress

Well I worried about the heat for nothing. The babies are absolutely fine. They seemed hot today too, but as soon as the chill hits the air, they are huddled together in the nest again. You can see them below, all huddled. Sorry its blurry, I'm not the greatest photographer and when I visit the birds I try tro make the vistis as brief as possible... thirty seconds tops.


They seem to be developing a fear of me. They are very wary and don't peep for food when i come near. They flap their wings and try to get away when I hold them for a photo op. Maybe its just because birds naturally have beady eyes - but I really think they are looking at me with distrust. This makes me very happy, because it means they haven't imprinted on me at all and are becoming normal, adolescent starlings.

Their feathers are making great progress! I don't know if the picture really captures it accurately though. Like I said they aren't liking the handling too much so I can't get a really good picture. The feathers are coming out of the pins at the tips. Imagine this - birds covered entirely by bluish gray straight pins, like Grandma sews with. And coming out the end of those pins, a tiny tuft of what could be hair. Its the goofiest thing. They are really comical looking- it seems like each change is funnier than the last.

PS, ignore the date stamp on the photos. I was messing around with my camera and forgot to turn that off when I took the photos. It is, obviously, inaccurate.

Day Nine - Heat

Today the babies were sick. I was so concerned that I checked them several times throughout the day. They were suffering from the heat. It was only in the low seventies here, but they are enclosed in dark colored metal and it was much hotter in the nest. Their mouths were hanging open and they were literally panting. They weren't nestled together int he nest as usual, in fact they were in danger of falling out because they were all around the edge of the nest, trying to keep cool. Their bodies were very hot too. I am pretty accurate at using the "forehead method" of temperature taking for my children, and based on that I would guess their body temperatures were near 104 or 105 degrees.



I was very concerned, but there was nothing I could do so I just gave them air periodically and I hope they will make it through the night. Tomorrow is forecast to be much the same weather as today... I hope all will be well.

One thing I have noticed growthwise in the babies is they are very good at perching now. They try to perch on my finger when I pick them up. In some places, people keep starlings as pets. I think this is terrible. I don't think any bird should be kept in a cage, unless, of course, it is unable to survive on its own. Supposedly they make all kinds of sounds and are friendly in captivity, but to me this is very sad. See him trying to cling to me finger (below?)

Day Eight - Pinfeathers

The baby starlings are officially one week old today. They have pinfeathers all over them now. I never knew why they were called pinfeathers, but I do now, and I feel like an idiot. The feathers are encased in a cuticle, so they look like long, straight pins. You can see a close up of the pinfeathers in the next photo. I imagine the feathers are all rolled up inside the cuticle, and I suppose when they get big enough the cuticle will wear off or break and there will be there feathers. To be honest though, I really don't know. The cuticle is much harder than the ones on your fingernails, in fact its more comparable to nails than skin. And the pointy edges are quite sharp. They even have short little pinfeathers on their little bums, which will eventually become the tail feathers.







You might wonder where the parents of these babies are, and what their reaction is to me being around the nest. The truth is, I have yet to see either parent. They never sit on the nest, not even when the babies were very small. I suppose this is because the nest is in a cavity (like most starling nests) so it is well protected from cold and damp and predators.

I read that baby starlings eat every 20 minutes or so so I imagine the parents are always out getting insects for the babies to eat. The babies are obviously growing and thriving, so I'm not concerned.

Day Seven - Sight

Wow! Today the babies opened their eyes! They aren't all the way open, though. I would guess about half-way. Have you ever seen baby kittens when they first open their eyes, and they're still a little sealed around the edges for a day or so? That's what they look like.

They are also a good deal larger and look disturbingly like very small, plucked chickens. Their beaks are starting to suit them a bit better as well. They are still quite large for their heads but the babies seem to be growing into them. You might also notice that their pinfeathers get significantly longer each day.

They are big enough today that when they scream for food, their heads reach out of the nest. Up until today, I had to peer down into the nest to get pictures of them with mouths wide.




A special treat for you today ... video! The sound is a bit distorted, and as I was going for a closeup I bumped a baby (not hard!) So I'm not much of a videographer... but I think the video offers a bit more perspective on their size and location.

Day Six - Growth Spurt

The baby starlings are at least double their birth size now. Their skin is almost totally dark now, and they have quite a bit of fuzz. Their pinfeathers are a bit longer than yesterday. Really though they have changed a lot in just the last day, let alone from birth. They are strong and vocal and very vigorous.

Day Five - Elimination

Well I guess the babies have hit a milestone - one pooped on me today!!

Other than that, they have grown tremendously. You can see how they fill my hand now, compared to just four days ago when I could have fit all four in my hand easily. They have pinfeathers starting on their wings also, and are getting darker. I don't know if their bones are ossifying or what, but underneath their skin is getting really dark, almost black, especially along their wings, tails, and bellies.

You might notice this little guy is totally hanging his out off my hand... actually I was catching him! He was trying to wriggle away and I didn't want him to get hurt if he fell from my hand back into the nest. I snapped this picture just as he decided to crap on me... eeeewwww.

Day Four - Activity

Oh my gosh, these guys have gotten so active in the last day! They are very strong and try to wriggle out of my hand. All of them peep very loudly and think I am their mother coming back with food for them.

I just read that imprinting in birds takes place between 7 and 10 days so on those days I might not hold them when I take their picture. I don't want them to think I am their real mother.

They have claws on their feet now and their wings are dark, like they are about to sprout pinfeathers. Their eyes are also very dark and you can see a little ear-hole too. They seem to also have a bit more fuzzy gray down on their backs, but are still very naked.

Day Three - Bigger

The babies look the same, except bigger. They were peeping at me when I looked at them this morning so I know Mama Bird has not abandoned them. They sound like a cat and a chick at the same time, kind of like a "prrrrr-eeeep!"

I also noticed that their eyes are darker. Not open yet though. And that one egg hasn't hatched. I figure Mama Starling will discard it when she's ready.

Day Two - Stronger

The babies seem a lot stronger today. Yesterday when I saw them, only one lifted his head to eat. Today all four did. They were peeping in the nest and sounded a lot like baby chickens.
I think peeping is universal to most baby birds because once when I was at Tractor Supply, I saw a bunch of the cutest ducklings you ever saw, and they were peeping like chicks.

The babies don't seem to have changed a lot, other than being stronger. One grabbed my finger and tried to swallow it. It felt like suction, just like a mammal baby.



The fifth egg has not hatched. I'm sure its a dud. I hope so, because if it hatches now, that baby will be much smaller than its siblings and will most likely die.



Their ridiculous grins remind me of The Joker.

One thing I am worried about... when I went to see them this evening, Mama Starling was not around. I didn't hear her either. I think she was probably getting food, because starlings eat mostly insects, and dusk in our rural area is insect heaven. I don't think the babies could survive the night if she has abandoned the nest. If she has and they do survive, I will take them to a lady I know who is a wildlife rehabber. I don't think she would abandon them though. She is a good Mama.

Day One - Arrival

May 16th... It's a good day today. Its my wedding anniversary. And it's special because our starlings have hatched!

I thought something might be different. I generally check the nest once a day, in the evening. When I checked last night, Mama was a bit reluctant to come out. She also hung around closer while I peeked, on a tree just a few feet away rather than in her usual place in the evergreen tree. I didn't notice any changes in the nest, but I have read that just before baby birds hatch, their mommas can hear them peeping within the shell. Is it true? I don't know, but our Mama seemed to know something was up.

I checked on the nest earlier today than usual, because I was so curious. Mama Bird sure was mad! But she isn't aggressive. Some species will attack you if you are near the nest, but Mama Starling just scolds me from a distance.

Here's what I found when I peeked in today...


Its a big ole pile of baby birds!! One egg hasn't hatched. It could have been laid a day late, which means it'll hatch tomorrow, or maybe its a dud. I don't know.

The babies are the most ridiculous looking things you have ever seen. They are almost completely naked and pink, and their wings and feet are extremely small compared to their bellies. Their bellies are totally see through, and you can see their intestines. Their guts look like there is nothing holding them in because the skin there is so thin and transparent.

Their necks are very long in relation to their bodies. There are just a few tiny downy feathers at the base of their necks. Their heads are about the same size as their bellies, and their beaks are way too big for their faces. They have a few long downy feathers on top of their heads. Their eyes aren't as dark as I thought they would be, and they are covered in skin.

They look almost cartoon-like, like they aren't even real. I think God was laughing when he created baby birds, because you can't help but giggle when you see them.

The babies are completely helpless and can barely hold their heads up. They look like they're dead when you first see them because of the pathetic way they lie in the nest, but when they realize you are there they poke their heads up for something to eat. Their bodies are warm and slightly moist and you can feel how incredibly fragile they are when you hold them in your hand.

Feed me! Maybe their beaks are huge so they can get enough to eat. From what I read, these guys'll be adults in about a month, so I guess they need to eat as much as possible to grow that fast.


Try telling this little guy he's an unwanted pest. As far as I'm concerned, a life is a life, and all life is beautiful - even if its a little goofy-looking.