Where have the Starling gone

[Cormorant]

Hi everyone i'm a little bit puzzled as to where the starlings have gone. I live in Aberdeen and we normally see them all year round with more in the winter time due to migrants coming over. For the last month or so i've not seen one starling and i'm very curious/concerned as to know where they are.

I've added a picture of a starling at my window

[Picidae]

You may see them 'all' the year round in Aberdeen but just for a month or so, resident breeders will be with post breeding flocks (in more rural areas) and getting ready to join winter roosts later in the year. Passerines will be going through their post breeding/post natal moults at the moment so are less visible anyway. It's a little early for winter migrants.

[Cormorant]

Thanks for your reply.

Yes it is early for migrants but we normally see them throughout the year. Always have a few stragglers staying back. Got a few regulars at the window all year round. This is the first time in 8 years of feeding them that there are none at all!

[rossy]

this question comes up time after time, what i think is you have to remember these are birds that are wild, they have wings and can fly and will travel, its like when they nest in ie your garden, they might be around for a short time when they fledge, but after that ,the parents take them and teach them as to become self sufficent, or in our words streetwise, with so many dangers out there they have to learn fast, apart from those that migrate the ones that come to your garden will return as when their natural food like insects, caterpillars, etc finish they know where to find ready grub, and dont forget after breeding they need to have a bird moment, rossy

[artdemole]

Starlings here have been feeding in small flocks...Also seen on the overhead telephone wires the last week.

[Cormorant]

Originally Posted by artdemole

Starlings here have been feeding in small flocks...Also seen on the overhead telephone wires the last week.

Fantastic I'm glad I've managed to trace a flock of them. They are quite far down the country. Someone else said they had seen some in Nottingham but not as many as normal. I hope our normally resident birds are with you

[briar rose]

We have a MacArthur glen outlet near us, and there must be hundreds of them in the evening perching all along the top of it, the other night as we were driving past they must have just been coming in to roost for the night, it was quite a site to see and very noisy

[Cormorant]

Originally Posted by briar rose

We have a MacArthur glen outlet near us, and there must be hundreds of them in the evening perching all along the top of it, the other night as we were driving past they must have just been coming in to roost for the night, it was quite a site to see and very noisy

Thanks for letting me know but where is MacArthur glen outlet

[briar rose]

Originally Posted by Cormorant

Thanks for letting me know but where is MacArthur glen outlet

I guess that may help lol, think it's probably a bit of a drive for you, it's in Ashford, Kent.

[Cormorant]

Originally Posted by briar rose

I guess that may help lol, think it's probably a bit of a drive for you, it's in Ashford, Kent.

Thanks again