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Happy Easter from a noisy and busy household in Middle England. I was woken early by the morning calls of grandchildren seeking entertainment and chocolate eggs. Sadly, I haven't seen a starling here for several years now, and the garden used to be full of them.
Thanks gz :-)
RR, I think I'd prefer being woken by the calls of birds. Right now I can hear a starling going through its fascinating routine, and I'd miss that. When you listen carefully, it's amazing what you'll hear when a starling's in full voice. You have some delightful feathered compensations, in your garden, though.
Yes, I really miss them (the starlings). They could do perfect imitations of car alarms, land-line telephones and even the shrieks of children in the playground at the nearby school. And then there are the murmurations.......
RR, this afternoon I took a short break from marking assignments and stood at the back door, looking towards the Ruahine. A murmuration of starlings rose into the air then scattered like wind-blown confetti before the bead tree sucked them in, and I thought of you and your garden, bereft of starlings.
How lovely! The way they simultaneously drop and settle is truly beautiful, just as if the trees suck them in.
Please try to bring a few over in hand luggage when you come here again.
This gorgeous specimen looks as if it has been gilded. Just to fantasize, a murmuration of gilded ones would take the wonder to a level beyond belief. As an aside, there is a video on Vimeo (quite a few actually) of a murmuration in Ireland (by Rivers and Tides, something like that) that I often turn to for a dose of wonder. (P.S. I am horrible about geography, Pete, and hope the recent deluge and flood was nowhere near. Take care.)
RR, unfortunately, customs at Heathrow might have something to say about smuggled starlings :-)
Barbara, the light was beautiful for a short while. And thanks for your concern. Fortunately, we got off very lightly — we had wild wind for an hour or so, but I've known much worse here, and the rain was nothing remarkable. We were on the other side of the Ruahine Range from the remains of the cyclone, and it moved south quickly, weakening as it went.
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