Where have all the Starlings gone

[Philipo]

Can someone tell me whats happened to the Starling population as we used to get several in our garden here in Ipswich and we have not seen any for months, also my mother who lives in the Norrfolk countryside have not seen any either.

Are they now scarce as their numbers are in decline and if so whats the cause of it...

Phil

[tcvarlh]

Phil

This is a question asked on here at least twice a year, have a cruise around some of the older posts, 'the truth is out there'.
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[gobbiner]

Originally Posted by Philipo

Can someone tell me whats happened to the Starling population as we used to get several in our garden here in Ipswich and we have not seen any for months, also my mother who lives in the Norrfolk countryside have not seen any either.

Are they now scarce as their numbers are in decline and if so whats the cause of it...

Phil

I know the answer to this one Phil there all in Oswaldtwistle millions of them

[Jonquil_d]

We have starlings,and see flocks in the vicinity.


Not sure if they have changed their behaviour to big flocks or have they always done big flocks and I have not always been aware of it but at this time of year there are enormous roosts of Starlings : half a dozen places listed on Autumn watch the other night.....afraid of the list I only remember Aberystwyth ..I expect they are listed on the Autumnwatch website.

[Ben Orme]

Originally Posted by Jonquil_d

We have starlings,and see flocks in the vicinity.


Not sure if they have changed their behaviour to big flocks or have they always done big flocks and I have not always been aware of it but at this time of year there are enormous roosts of Starlings : half a dozen places listed on Autumn watch the other night.....afraid of the list I only remember Aberystwyth ..I expect they are listed on the Autumnwatch website.

Happens every year as far as I am aware.

[Jonquil_d]

This summer we have had two starling families coming to the garden, one of six and one of nine...it has been good to see them grow and develop from fledglings, demanding to be fed, and to watch their brown feathers moult to give way to adult plumage. We still get starlings visits but the family groups are no longer regulars but there is a lot of starling activity in the area with frequent overflights of groups ranging from four or five to flocks of about forty (this lunchtime)...when they get to that size you begin to get the effect of seeing them en masse but nothing like the coastal swarms. Have seen much bigger flocks than the forty recently over the fields.

[Jonquil_d]

My daughter sent me this link: to encourage photographers but losts of basic info on the subject too.


The Guardian

[Dogghound]

Originally Posted by Philipo

Can someone tell me whats happened to the Starling population as we used to get several in our garden here in Ipswich and we have not seen any for months, also my mother who lives in the Norrfolk countryside have not seen any either.

Are they now scarce as their numbers are in decline and if so whats the cause of it...

Phil

They group up in autumn and winter and feed together on farmland and other similar open areas, you still get some birds in suburban areas. The birds you had before will have been local breeders. Plenty here in the farmland, and lots in off the sea.

[Jonquil_d]

Wasn't something said on autumn watch about huge flocks of starlings waiting to come over from the continent?

[Picidae]

Originally Posted by Jonquil_d

Wasn't something said on autumn watch about huge flocks of starlings waiting to come over from the continent?

Every autumn our resident Starling populations are boosted by migrants from Scandinavia, Poland and Finland - there's also a slight movement in the Uk with breeders from the NW Scotland moving down for the winter.