Wednesday's Wisdom: More Info re Starlings

EUROPEAN STARLING

EUROPEAN STARLINGS

The two photos atop this entry features European starlings spending time in my urban garden. In the first one, a starling is alighting upon the branches of my kiwi vines; which, as you may recall, are a flora type that inspired my first garden themed movie, The Kiwi Speaks! Fifteen Minutes of Fame...almost; which can be within my Vimeo channel, by clicking here. In the second one, starlings are having a heated discussion at one of my bird feeders. Both of these photographs were taken in bygone years. As you may know, this bird type has been the subject of a number of my entries within my cyber-venues, and, my post recent post regarding them was published here on Blogger nearly two weeks ago (March 23rd 2017).

In any event, the European starlings who visited my rooftop garden yesterday, and who can be seen doing so, in the following pictures...

EUROPEAN STARLINGS

EUROPEAN STARLINGS

EUROPEAN STARLINGS

...are the inspiration for this blog posting. The images directly above, features a shameless male starling checking out (if not leering at ) a female starling as a possible mate. The female pictured here seems a little uncomfortable (as evidenced by the way she is holding herself) at being scrutinized.

Throwback Thursday: Mr. Eugene Schieffelin (He was for the birds, especially starlings.)

The photograph atop today's entry was taken during this past Tuesday's nor'Easter; a "bombogenesis," winter storm named STELLA. It's a picture featuring a representative of one of the dozens upon dozens of dozens of European starlings who spent the entire day in my rooftop garden, eating and squawking (not sedate like the one seen here) while the blizzard raged on (as evidenced in the following images).

This bird type that I'm speaking of is a member of the Sturnus vulgaris family whom are also known by the common name of European starling. Evidently this variety of bird was brought to NYC from England by Eugene Schieffelin in March of 1890, and he subsequently released them in Central Park. 

I first learned of Eugene Schieffelin's antics in March of 2014 and wrote about the news-worthy topic on TLLG's Facebook Page. I also wrote about it on hometalk, with a follow-up entry here on Blogger. 

Now, in preparation for today's throwback Thursday post, I've read other interesting information re Eugene Schieffelin's "responsibility" in bringing starlings across the pond, as well as interesting facts re this ubiquitous bird type, all of which I'm sharing in this entry.

A Young Starling Tries The "Stewie" Tactic!

A very young European starling, alighting on a bird feeder, which is hanging on the Japanese Larch (Larix Kaempferi), that grows in my urban garden, had his/her beak wide open for a number of minutes (as evidenced by te four images atop this blog entry).

People-ing on the UWS!

 

Check out a European starling doing some people watching (or people-ing) on the UWS of Manhattan.

This bird type is featured in my new book, BIRD TALES and has a story within the third volume of Words In Our Beak.

The Consequence of Reporting on Sturnus vulgaris (European starlings)

On Sunday, March 16th 2014, the day before a number of folks were due to celebrate the Saint Patrick's Day holiday, I realized another holiday was taking place. The holiday I am referring to is the 124th anniversary of the arrival of the bird type known as Sturnus vulgaris (European starlings) in New York City, the city where I live and have an urban garden that this bird type is now visiting. It appears they truly enjoy noshing here as evidenced by the photos above.

My Encounter With a Superb Starling (Monday's Musings)

The photograph atop this entry feature a Superb Starling (Spreo Superbus) spending time in his home which is within the zoo in Central Park.

Tuesday's Truths WK 1: The Construction of Young Starlings's Beaks Help Their Parents!

                              

Those of you who have followed this blog over the years have probably discovered that I have incorporated certain templates and after a bit of time stopped using them, switched to another format, but have often wound up reverting back to what I started with. My behavior re this "process" reminds me of how Oscar Wilde once described his editing. Here's what he said: “I was working on the proof of one of my poems all the morning, and took out a comma. In the afternoon I put it back again.”

Today, Tuesday, July 19th 2016, I am returning to a posting feature I once provided in my blog during the years of 2011 and 2012. The feature I am speaking of is to designate a given day of the week for an entry topic. During the years of 2011 and 2012, I often designated Mondays as "Mondays Musings"; Wednesdays as "Wednesday's Wisdom", and Friday's as "Follow-Up Friday." I set aside Tuesday's for referring folks to my activity on tumblr and called those Blogger posts, "If it's Tuesday, it must be tumblr..." 

While it has been a long time since I desingnated a certain day of the week as a springboard for a blog topic, all of those day-of-the-week posts can still be found within my blog by going to the left hand column titled TLLG's Blog Archive. Meanwhile, as I just stated, today, Tuesday, July 19th 2016, I am returning to a posting feature, which will be designating a day of the week as a springboard for a post. 

Beginning with this Tuesday,  I will feature "Tuesday's Truths." These series of posts will provide an interesting fact about flora growing in my urban (NYC) rooftop garden and or an interesting fact re a member of the avian community who visits it. I was encouraged to return to this type of feature by Jenn G, a young woman who works in my hood (she drew the bird I've featured below).

Jenn believes that folks are interested in fun facts and has encouraged me to share some of what I know, hence my new Tuesday thing. I'll start this new series with a fact that I've just about the bird type known as European starlings. One can be seen (in the images posted below) alighting upon the container which is home to the kiwi vines which grow in my garden. 

Some of you may recall, I was once criticized (by a stranger) for writing about this bird type. Be that as it may, I am continue to be fascinated by the antics of European starlings; and I recently discovered something I hadn't known about them, after placing a saucer of blueberries atop the table in my garden.

Tuesday's Truth, The Thirty-Second Week: STELLA, a "bombogenesis" is for the BIRDS!

We are currently having a Nor' Easter style winter storm that has been named Stella; and she has received the distinction of being called a "bombogenesis" storm!

According to weather.com, to be considered as a bombogenesis, a given storm must be known to have "rapidly intensifying area of low pressure."

And, weather.com also states that another criteria to be classified as a weather bomb, "is that the central pressure of a low-pressure system must drop at least 24 millibars within 24 hours." This source points out that, "at 8 p.m. EDT Monday (last night) the central pressure was 1007 millibars, and as of 3:30 p.m. EDT Tuesday (today when the storm took place) the pressure had dropped to around 976 millibars. This equates to a pressure drop of 31 millibars in only 19.5 hours, easily exceeding the requirements for bombogenesis." 

In NYC, where I live, schools were closed and certain forms of public transportation were suspended as a result of the storm. However, folks were given a few days warning and many of them heeded it, as evidenced by the long lines just to get into many a grocery store.

The mayor urged people to stay put once the storm began to take place. However, not everyone followed his plea, especially the birds that visit my rooftop garden. I'm not naming names re who failed to comply with the mayor's request, but I will say that they included a large number of European starlings (a few of them can be seen in the picture atop this entry) along with a lone mourning dove.

I'm not sure why the storm was given the name of Stella, but, as you may surmise, this sparked a lot of Marlon Brando clips being uploaded to various social media platforms.

After all, it's hard to not reference his famous yelling "Stella," to his wife (Stella Kowalski) in his role of Stanley Kowalski for productions of Tennessee Williams' play and movie, titled A Streetcar Named  Desire.

In any event, you can see that this Stella-Brando reference is not lost on my prolific birds! One of the starlings pictured above is reenacting Brando's Stanley Kowalski, and yelling "Stella." European starlings are known for their skill in mimicking, and I must say this starling nailed Brando!

The mourning dove is also quite well read and while the starling focused on Stanley Kowalski, she focused on Blanche Dubois (Stella Kowalski's sister); for as she munched on the suet that fell from the feeder, she quoted Blanche saying, “I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.”

European starlings contine to enjoy my garden. (Saturday's Sentiment)

European starlings the bird type featured in the image atop this entry (visiting my roof extension garden) were brought to NYC from England 131 years and one month ago yesterday (3-16-1890).

Mockingbirds and starlings have common behaviors! Tuesday's Truths WK 208

For this 208th segement of my Tuesday's Truths series, I'd like to tell you a behavior that the bird types (European starlings and Northern mockingbirds) featured in the photos atop this entry have in common.

Tuesday's Truths WK 49: Young birds & fledglings love having grapes!

Welcome to the forty-ninth week of my Tuesday's Truths. Today's post is dedicated to young birds (or should I say fledgings) including an European starling (pictured above — eating a grape— in my rooftop garden).

This little bird and I have something in common: We both appreciate grapes. Only I appreciate my grapes after they are "transformed" into a glass of wine!

And because I know how much I enjoy a glass (or two) of vino, I always make sure that I have placed grapes for my visiting birds in either a bird feeder (such as the one above) or on a saucer (such as the one below), where a young American Robin has grabbed one and is enjoying having his/her own grape.

The young Northern mockingbird is a bit more apprehensive about indulging (as evidenced in the next set of images); perhaps he/she is a bit intimidated by the other birds who are visiting my place.

I don't blame the Northern mockingbird for being cautious about partaking in the eating of a grape!

After all, perhaps he/she has heard the news re how those who grow grapes in vineyards for purposes of making wine attempt to keep birds away from their grapes by employing falcons to take care of starlings, robins and mockingbirds!

Remembering Eugene Schieffelin ETC

The photograph atop this entry is of a statute in Central Park that is in very close proximity to Delacorte Clock — named after philanthropist George T. Delacorte.

According to a web-page, it "is one of the most beloved monuments in the parks of New York City, this musical clock hovers above the arcade between the Wildlife Center and the Children's Zoo."

The aforementioned page goes on to say that "Delacorte conceived of the clock as a modern version of belfries in churches and city halls dating back to the Middle Ages....

... and designer Fernando Texidor collaborated with architect Edward Coe Embury (son of the 1934 zoo’s designer, Aymar Embury II) to create a brick arcaded bridge between the Monkey House (now the Zoo School) and the main Central Park Zoo quadrangle to house the clock and its animal sculpture carousel. Italian sculptor Andrea Spadini (1912–1983) crafted the whimsical bronze sculptures, which depict a penguin, kangaroo, bear, elephant, goat, and hippo parading with a variety of musical instruments as well as two monkeys with mallets that strike the bell."

This page also explains that "Each day between eight in the morning and six in the evening, the clock--now digitally programmed--plays one of thirty-two nursery rhyme tunes on the hour. On the half-hour, the mechanical performance is a bit shorter. The animals rotate on a track around the clock and each also turns on an axis."

I came upon it the clock this afternoon when walking with a friend. I've seen it on many occasions as but in all my years of living in NYC, I've rarely arrived at the clock just as it is about to "perform."

Starlings came to NYC 129 years ago today.

STARLINGS ARE FEATURED IN VOL 3

STARLINGS ARE FEATURED IN VOL 3

STARLINGS ARE FEATURED IN VOL 3

STARLINGS ARE FEATURED IN VOL 3

Today marks the 129th anniversary of the arrival of Sturnus vulgaris AKA European starlings in NYC. A few photographs of "solo"  starlings visiting my garden at various times over the years are posted atop this entry.

What a differnce a week makes!

One week ago on May 23rd 2021, the “real feel” temperatures climbed into the 90's and in my last Tuesday's Truths segment, I mentioned how these conditions are very hard on our avian community. 

Today — one week later — the temperature is no where near those which occurred in that mini heat wave. They have been hovering at 52 degrees with real feel temps around 44 degrees, accompanied by a third day of steady, heavy rainfalls (which can be seen in the photograph atop this entry featuring a partial view of my rain-soaked garden.