Greg Laden's Blog

I once had a walk to work that passed by a nesting crow that was extremely aggressive about keeping people away from "its" tree. I tried wearing a cap, and it literally knocked it off my head. I finally blasted it with my water bottle, after which it kept a more respectable distance.

Posted by: Rich Wilson | November 15, 2009 1:48 PM

American passenger pigeon niche has a new tenant?

Posted by: abb3w | November 15, 2009 7:58 PM

dunno about this particular video, but yes, that's precisely how European skies look in November. I've seen this weird dance many times as a kid :-)

Posted by: Jadehawk | November 15, 2009 10:47 PM

Well it's fall here in Dayton, Ohio, and the starlings are doing the same flocking thing except that they'll be heading back the other way.

I've observed them gathering in impressive flocks for six or seven years now. They don't gather as densely as the above video but the group behavior is the same.

Up until two years ago there was a small wetland area nearby with tall trees that hosted some of the larger flocks I've seen locally. Now it is a large department store with several acres of parking. There are some trees left around the edges and some adjacent areas have remained untouched. The north/south bypass, I675, passes through the middle of it all.

I was noticing this past week while returning from work that despite a reduction in trees, rookeries, there did not seem to be fewer starlings. While counting birds is dicey while driving I have the impression that the flock returns to the location not because it is a good rookery but because they know how to get there. Older generations have led younger ones there and then the younger ones have grown older and led younger ones there. I wonder if, as the older generation of 'leaders' dies off, the size of the flock diminishes. If so, it might indicate that a smaller and less accommodating rookery would not imprint so strongly on the memory of tomorrow's leaders.

Notwithstanding their behavior or my hypothesis they certainly are a most urban critter and their behavior is almost instantly recognizable as vaguely familiar, almost . . . human.

Posted by: Crudely Wrott | November 16, 2009 12:19 AM

Are you talking about the first video or the second video????

Posted by: Jadehawk | November 16, 2009 12:48 AM