The Mobster - Weekend Reflections

The look on this plucky fellow's face clearly says he's a troublemaker!  He could be an itty bitty birdie Mob boss!   He'd look wonderful with a little black top hat!  I love the humor I think see in this tough old fellow's face and the way the light reflects rainbow colors from his feathers is beautiful. 

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Starling on Red - Shadow Shot Sunday

I was on my way back to our vehicle, when I spotted this fat little starling.  He was comfortably napping--stilt-legged, head tucked beneath wing--upon the hood of a very shiny red car.  I quickly snatched up my camera and began to snap his picture, whereapon he turned to look at me, yet stilted, with a baleful eye.

I talked to him in his "language" and we had quite a conversation going.  He wasn't shy at all.  This is the best of the pictures I shot that afternoon.  As much as I don't like starlings, this one was cute.

This is my first submission to Shadow Shot Sunday!  

Creative Nesting

This spring, Starlings have been the bane of my existence with their constant destructive assault on our home. We thought we'd thwarted them from nesting in the eaves above my office and the upper story of our old house. But my husband kept hearing noises in the wall of the upstairs bathroom.

This morning I waited outside, while he pounded on the inside wall. To my surprise a startled starling burst from the bathroom fan vent.

When we'd put the fan in, my brilliant husband had installed a panel so the vent would be accessible. When we removed the panel and pulled the vent hose out--to our surprise, we found the entire thing was stuffed with nesting materials. As you can see the eggs were lying at the top.
The small eggs are a fragile blue color and are rather beautiful. They look like they might have been newly laid.

They are so lovely I am going to preserve them--I like how they look in this tiny delicate tea cup.