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Further to my initial comment. That Starling alarm call worked well but
only if played at the right moment. When Starlings approached a field
they did not just fly in and land. They would first land in a tree which
provided a good view of the field and after a few minutes fly to land
and feed if it seemed safe.
If the alarm call was played just before they landed in an
observation tree then, without exception, they would turn in flight and
retreat. If played after they landed they ignored it.
The initial capture of a Starling to record the alarm call caused,
by accident, detachment of the nest which held a young Starling so,
feeling responsible, I took it home and cared for it until it was able
to fly. It quickly became tame but responded curiously when a ping pong
ball was held in front of it. It would look down and away and in
general act guilty.
Another aspect involved measuring the DC electrical voltage
sufficient to shock birds with wet and dry feet and to effect this I
captured some with a mist net and held them in cages until this was
measured. Cedar Waxwings took to confinement well and, as soon as I
entered the enclosure and sat down, they would often fly over and land
on my arm. Drawing on memory, neither Robins nor Starlings did this.
Yt, DW,, Kentville
-------- Forwarded Message --------
Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Question: Starling Behaviour
Date: Tue, 19 May 2020 20:35:32 -0300
From: David Webster <dwebster@glinx.com>
Reply-To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
Hi Burkhard & All
They have a unique alarm call which sounds a lot like HELP;
help.... . Many decades ago I recorded this call to see if it could be
used to protect cherries and low-bush blueberries.
YT, DW, Kentville
On 5/19/2020 6:58 PM, Burkhard Plache wrote:
> Hello fellow naturalists:
>
> We have a pair of starlings is raising its brood in a former hairy
> woodpecker cavity in our front yard. Today, there were some 10-12
> starlings scattered in the nearby branches. A few minutes later, a big
> ruckus broke out, with a squirrel departing the tree at high speed
> pursued by some 5-6 of the starlings.
>
> My question is: Are starlings known to band together in times of trouble?
> If so, they must have some means of calling for help in case of a threat.
>
> Curious,
> Burkhard
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<p>Further to my initial comment. That Starling alarm call worked
well but only if played at the right moment. When Starlings
approached a field they did not just fly in and land. They would
first land in a tree which provided a good view of the field and
after a few minutes fly to land and feed if it seemed safe.<br>
</p>
<p> If the alarm call was played just before they landed in an
observation tree then, without exception, they would turn in
flight and retreat. If played after they landed they ignored it. <br>
</p>
<p> The initial capture of a Starling to record the alarm call
caused, by accident, detachment of the nest which held a young
Starling so, feeling responsible, I took it home and cared for it
until it was able to fly. It quickly became tame but responded
curiously when a ping pong ball was held in front of it. It would
look down and away and in general act guilty. <br>
</p>
<p> Another aspect involved measuring the DC electrical voltage
sufficient to shock birds with wet and dry feet and to effect this
I captured some with a mist net and held them in cages until this
was measured. Cedar Waxwings took to confinement well and, as soon
as I entered the enclosure and sat down, they would often fly over
and land on my arm. Drawing on memory, neither Robins nor
Starlings did this.</p>
<p>Yt, DW,, Kentville<br>
</p>
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<th valign="BASELINE" nowrap="nowrap" align="RIGHT">Subject:
</th>
<td>Re: [NatureNS] Question: Starling Behaviour</td>
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<th valign="BASELINE" nowrap="nowrap" align="RIGHT">Date: </th>
<td>Tue, 19 May 2020 20:35:32 -0300</td>
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<th valign="BASELINE" nowrap="nowrap" align="RIGHT">From: </th>
<td>David Webster <dwebster@glinx.com></td>
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<th valign="BASELINE" nowrap="nowrap" align="RIGHT">Reply-To:
</th>
<td>naturens@chebucto.ns.ca</td>
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<th valign="BASELINE" nowrap="nowrap" align="RIGHT">To: </th>
<td>naturens@chebucto.ns.ca</td>
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<br>
<br>
Hi Burkhard & All<br>
<br>
They have a unique alarm call which sounds a lot like HELP;
help.... . Many decades ago I recorded this call to see if it
could be used to protect cherries and low-bush blueberries.<br>
<br>
YT, DW, Kentville<br>
<br>
On 5/19/2020 6:58 PM, Burkhard Plache wrote:<br>
<blockquote type="cite">Hello fellow naturalists:<br>
<br>
We have a pair of starlings is raising its brood in a former
hairy<br>
woodpecker cavity in our front y