European Starlings don’t have the finest reputation. Introduced in New York in 1890, reaching Niagara Falls in 1914 and Brockville in 1919, the first were seen in Toronto on March 24 1925. Several of our hole-nesting native birds have suffered with competition with starlings: such species as the Eastern Bluebird, Red-headed Woodpecker and Northern Flicker have all been reduced in numbers.

As fall approaches, starlings gather in ever larger numbers which are called “murmurations” after the wing sound of many birds in the sky together.

I visited East Point Park on the eastern Scarborough Bluffs twice this week and had many large flocks of starling the first day and none the second.

Other birds and a butterfly:

STARLING in HISTORY

Starlings were sacred birds to the ancient Celts. The Druids held Starlings in honor, and in fact, the word for “starling” in Welsh is “drudwen” or “drudwy”. The Mabinogion speaks of Branwen, sister to the giant hero-god King Bran, who was imprisoned and forced into servitude for King Matholwch of Ireland, despite having borne him a son. Branwen trained her pet Starling to speak and sent him to her brother, who waded across the sea and defeated the Irish, freeing Branwen. – wikipedia

Miles Hearn