Progress of a sort – at least two of the plush starling fledglings have learnt to feed themselves. One has found that it can balance on the top rungs of the fat ball feeder and reach the food below. It was undoubtedly easier because there were two newish fat balls, so that it didn’t have far to lean over. It might be a while before it can hang upside down to tackle a small ball.
The second fledgling had discovered that it could perch on the edge of the three-quarter coconut and lean in to get the seed and mealworms. Unfortunately, it hadn’t communicated this to its parent, which still wanted to feed it. The adult barged the youngster out of the way, which retreated to a neighbouring branch and waited to be fed. The parent did feed it once or twice but then seemed to settle down to eat for itself. Once they’re in this position the adult starlings never seem to need to come up for air. The youngster finally got fed-up waiting and jumped on its parent’s back to try to dislodge it. There was an brief undignified stramash before the adult re-asserted its rights to the feeder and the youngster went down to the lawn to feed alongside four ring doves, half a dozen sparrows and the inevitable wood pigeon. The adult starling abandoned the coconut after barely twenty seconds and the youngster went back to perfect its nut balancing skills.
thekitchensinkbirdwatcher 