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| Starlings feasting on windfall apples in a Lincolnshire garden |
When first I came to live in Derbyshire - ten years ago - I placed boxes on my house to encourage Starlings.
After two or three years' experience, I came to the conclusion that these birds were rather too plentiful, and year by year, in May
and June, I wish that their numbers were greatly diminished.
In the Peak District we often have late frosts and cold easterly winds during spring, and the plants in our gardens are late in flowering.
But as soon as a bright blossom appears on our borders the Starlings mark it as suitable building material for their nests; and later, when young plants are bedded out, they are often very destructive.
I have seen them pull up young broad-bean plants; I have known them take, in a few hours, three dozen seedling French marigolds which had just been bedded out.
Apparently all this mischief is very useless, as numbers of flowers and plants are scattered on the verandah or may be found in the gutters between the gables of my house.
But this is not their worst fault. At this time of the year it is a great pleasure to see the Swifts racing through the air, and to hear their
shrill cries as they chase one another.
Several pairs of Swifts nest every ear in my house; but before they arrive the Starlings have taken possession of their nesting-holes.
This leads to a fierce war being waged between the two species.
It is true that now and again a Swift succeeds in throwing ne or two unfledged Starlings out of the nest, but more often a battle takes place between the adult birds, and the Swift is very roughly treated.
Sometimes he manages to escape, and flies far away hotly pursued by the Starling.
But often they both fall to the ground together, and the Swift is left in a state too feeble to rise, and becomes an easy prey to any prowling cat.
Several times the Swift's piteous squealing has brought me to the window, nd I have seen the Starling hammering him with its beak.
Last year, I ran out and picked up a Starling and Swift clinging to one another so tightly that at first I could not disentangle them.
The Swift was very weak indeed.
However, I kept him indoors through the night, and next morning he was able to fly.
This year, Swifts did not come to us till the 7th of May, and already there were fights on the 15th, 16th, and 17th.
Starlings are delightful birds, their varied songs and mimicry are so amusing, and in the winter they are among the few species which come to enliven us; consequently I do not like to shoot them, especially as shooting is apt to frighten the birds in my aviary.
And yet they are a terrible nuisance, injuring plants, harrying the Swifts, and filling up ventilators and gutters.
I should like to know whether others have observed the same eud existing between Swifts and Starlings.
I have known Starlings to oust Sand-Martins, and have read of their taking possession of the holes made by Woodpeckers, but I do not remember ever seeing any note on their interference with Swifts.
W. Storks Fox
St. Anselm's
Bakewell
Derbyshire
* In 1836, the Rev T. Salway recorded a discovery of the skeletons of Swifts and Starlings in the tower of the church at Oswestry, Shropshire. As many as 57 were discovered together in a small chamber rather ore in size than " half a square foot". Swifts are seemingly pugnacious birds. Bree, writing in 1832, says: Swifts, I am told (though I never witnessed the fact), will sometimes fight with each other, and in such cases the contending parties are occasionally brought to the ground, and have been found so circumstanced, and with the claws of each mutually clasped into those of the other." - Editor.
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