European Starling - Juvenile Molt

I'm getting a bit behind on posting. I've still got some images from weeks ago that I want to post. Reviewing all the pictures and post processing can take a lot of time, so sometimes I put up the "easier", "quicker" image to get a post up leaving some of the tougher (sometimes better images) images behind.
Such is the case with tonight's post. I only got a couple pictures of this juvenile European Starling, so it doesn't take long to decide which to post, work it up and upload. It's an interesting picture as the juvenile is beginning to molt into adult basic plumage, evidenced by the mostly brown coloring with the start of black, spotted, adult feathers emerging on its belly. But I have some great pictures of Semipalmated Plovers, Western Sandpipers, Sanderlings and Heermann's Gulls from a couple of weeks ago and some nice pictures of what I think are Semipalmated Sandpipers from this past week that I have been pondering. Sometimes quantity can be overwhelming. :-)

European Starling

These two wet European Starlings greeted me as I pulled into the parking lot at Le parc national des Îles-de-Boucherville on Saturday.
I have now seen European Starlings on 2 different continents, 3 countries and 6 states. I'm not sure that is a good thing. :-)

European Starling - Nesting

I spend some time at TRNWR this morning. Not a great picture taking day, but I saw several birds. Sure does seem to be a good Spring for Warbling Vireos. Now if I could just get a good close up...
I stopped at the platform looking over the river as I usually do, when I noticed a small head peering out of a hole in a dead tree truck right along side the the platform. But, before I could get a good look at it, it ducked down into the hole. I waited patiently for a bit until it raised it's head again.
It was a young bird, but I wasn't sure what kind. Then another head popped up and soon they were calling out as a European Starling flew in. It sat in the branches above for a bit, then swooped down and quickly fed it's young before flying off again.

Northern Flicker - Suet Guard

I saw a Northern Flicker at my suet feeder this evening when I got home from work. I grabbed my camera and started taking pictures of it when a European Starling decided to challenge the Flicker for the suet. The Flicker, however, was having none of it!

European Starling

Along with the hybrid Mallards, there are usually Brewer's Blackbirds and European Starlings in the parking lot at Fernhill Wetlands. Most of the time they congregate down near the water and I typically take some pictures of them on my way back to my car as I approach the parking lot from the west side of Fernhill Lake.
European Starlings take a bad wrap as undesirable and they are intrusive birds that can make a mess and scare off other birds. But I find that they can have some very interesting and beautiful foliage. While they are more black with iridescent purples and greens during breeding season, they are especially interesting, in my opinion, during the non-breeding season as they are covered with creamy speckles and brown highlights such as the birds in the images above.

European Starling

This European Starling was sitting in a tree along the service road on the northern boundary of Kingfisher Marsh at Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve. This is the first time I have been at Jackson Bottom and not had to walk through some mud along this road.

European Starling

This European Starling was one of the first birds I photographed from the bird blind at TRNWR.