STARLINGS

I am convinced that Mike Meyers based his Fat Bastard character on juvenile starlings.

I didn't like the character. It's one big fat joke that is played out over the course of more than one movie, and making fun of some of the most vulnerable people in our society is easy and mean. So I resent having to be reminded of this character several times a day.

The thing is that the baby starlings are not quite babies anymore. They have most of their feathers, although their heads are still a bit downy, and they can fly. They have discovered our bird feeder.

However, they haven't quite figured out yet how to EAT. Not for themselves. They know that food is something good and yummy, and that when they open their mouths and scream, food gets shoved in their faces.

So they fly over to the bird feeder and scream at the food.

They're just like Fat Bastard. "GET IN MY BELLY!" they scream, over and over.

I hope I am not giving you the wrong impression. There is nothing charming or cute about a bird haranguing a food item.

But there they scream. Sometimes an adult bird will fly over and eat as well. Most of the time, the adult birds ignore the juveniles, which are actually a bit bigger than the adults at this point (I think it might just be fluff). If this happens, the juveniles will peck the adults until they a) feed them, b) peck back, or c) fly off in a huff.

I no longer like starlings.