This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011 at 13:15 and is filed under birding, Food, Naturalism, New Brunswick, Photography, Saint John New Brunswick, winter, Wordless Wednesday. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Voice of the Turtle 
The starlings haven’t been pecking much at the suet lately — maybe the valentine is for you!
I honestly couldn’t tell what it was on the 1st and 2nd picture, when I saw the 3rd one I literally said ‘Ow I get it’
I interpreted it that way, Eyegillian — not that I’m narcissistic or anything…
Hi, Novroz! Here in the frozen North, we put suet (beef fat, often mixed with seeds) out for songbirds in winter to give them extra calories. My latest batch of suet has been eaten mostly by starlings. Yesterday I noticed how the final chunk of it has been whittled to a heart shape, so I took some photos and turned one of them 90 degrees. Ta-da! 😀
Ahhh, the birds love you!
I thought you had made it or bought it that shape. So the little birds were the sculptors? What artistic starlings you have!
Usually, Barefootheart, just watching them is reward enough (btw, E.g. and I are sure the goldfinches are starting to yellow up!), but this little culinary coincidence was too special not to share.
This one actually was a home-made mixture, Binky, made in a loaf pan and cut and stacked (two blocks) to fit the feeder.
I think the Fine Arts is the default position for most Saint John species, when Big Industry pulls back and the call centres lay people off. Still new here, though, so don’t quote me.
Are they wild bird?
Yes, Kame, starlings — or more specifically, European Starlings — are wild songbirds. They didn’t use to live in North America, but 120 years ago someone in New York imported and released several dozen pairs, and the starlings were so happy here they have since spread throughout the continent.
Awww, hope you get some shots of them soon 🙂
Good idea, Jayne! I’m gonna do a “Follow-up Friday” right now!
[…] My funny valentine was in fact the work of many starlings, not simply the sculptor seen above. They often arrive by the dozen, some playing King of the Castle on the suet cage while others stand on the snow beneath, catching the fatty crumbs that the mock warmakers drop. Their chattering and clowning in the snow-coated stillness brightens my day. […]
It certainly looks like a nice hearty meal for them
P.S. I like the little cage idea so they can peck away at it without taking the whole thing & it makes for better birdy sharing
P.S. Again. I don’t know why my comments keep going to moderation. Maybe because I have cancelled my self hosting account which had an admin email I have been using & have now gone back to my gmail…
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Yes, Tony, I guess it’s the avian equivalent of a lumberjack’s sausages and pancakes with syrup and home fries and baked beans and why do I have this sudden urge to make breakfast and get out my pruning saw?
I understand less and less of computerology as time passes. Your three comments were waiting in my In box; should be smooth sailing now.
That is really quite brilliant and amazing! Clever birds! I reckon they’re just buttering you up though.
And think of the elbow grease it took them to do the buttering up, S. Le! (Wait…do birds have elbows?)