# Starlings, millions of them



## JanHank (Mar 29, 2015)

I am sitting outside, it’s just my kind of day, warm not hot with a nice breeze. 
A few minutes ago there were, not exaggerating, thousands of starlings flying over in groups of hundreds, they have all dropped down into the maize, now I know they don’t eat maize so wonder what else they are eating, can anyone tell me.?


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Dunno about the starlings Jan but we think wildlife is out of sync. We have swallows feeding their young in our car port roof. Just hope they can fledge and make the trip south asap.

Ray.


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

from the internet

*Autumn roosts usually begin to form in November, though this varies from site to site and some can begin as early as September*. More and more birds will flock together as the weeks go on, and the number of starlings in a roost can swell to around 100,000 in some places.


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

Again from the internet -


All starlings are omnivorous, which means they eat a wide range of foods, including *insects, seeds, and fruit*. They feed in trees, but also regularly walk on the ground with strong feet.


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## JanHank (Mar 29, 2015)

You would have seen and heard that here this morning Pat, every tree was full of the noisy beggars and as I walked along thousands flew up from peoples gardens, we have more than our fair share of them in this village, must run into millions.
I also read they don´t take maize corn because it´s too big for them to break and digest.


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

I would have thought so, too, Jan. I don't think many creatures can digest it to be honest. Rats perhaps?


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## JanHank (Mar 29, 2015)

We now seem to have tens of millions of the noisy devils. Must be plenty of food about for them, even though I notice the elderberries look very sorry for themselves and are drying up. What they are finding up in the crack willow trees I don´t know, but that's where they seem to congregate. They are no longer dining about in the gardens.


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