Noisy starling

[lucy78green]

I heard the weirdest noise yesterday when I was coming up the path after work. I looked over at the tree and it appeared to be a juvenile starling sitting on a branch beside it's parent wanting fed. I thought it was quite funny as the bird was so close to the fatball feeder itself - and the parent was maybe giving him one feed every three pecks at the fatball. It was much noisier than any of the other birds around at the time.

[James M]

I always enjoy listening to Starlings, they can make a wide range of calls and they are good mimics too, which isn't surprising as they are related to mynas I believe (someone correct me if I'm wrong). I have a favourite which I only seem to hear on sunny days, it sounds sort of like a squeaky warbling call, I've also heard them mimic a car alarm which is quite entertaining to listen to.

[diggleken]

Quite right James.
My favourite - and it has thrown me a few times over the years - is a mimic of the Curlew's bubbling call - lovely!
Cheers
Ken