Whatever time you prefer to call it, come 2:30pm a few friends from my our ringing group, Brewood Ringers, gathered at Belvide Reservoir to set some nets for the reed bunting and starling roost. Now starling don't get a great press, raiding bird tables, making a racket and a right mess when they murmurate and roost in urban areas, but up close they are awesome birds.
Far from black, they are a mix of iridescent black, green and purple! For good measure they also have creamy markings thrown in, and its these which are part of the criteria you need to check for ageing a bird. If the markings are dagger shapped, the bird is an adult whereas if they are more blotchy the bird was born in the last 12 months, and so a juvenile. Combined with the shape and pattern of the tail the species is relatively easy to age.
Did you know you can also sex a starling based on the bird's eye colour? If there is no contrast in colour across the eye, its a male as females have a contrast in colour, sometimes quite an obvious difference in colour.
So any thoughts on the bird below?
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