Where did the starlings go?

[scousemouse]

................they are all in my garden!! Greedy monsters they are too. The little birds don't get a look in.

[taxman]

Remember in the 70's after a drive down a motorway or through a country road your windscreen would be completely covered in dead insects. Do the same drive now and you'll get barely anything. Intensive farming and the over use of pesticides have removed billions of insects from the food chain. Remove the bottom layer of a food chain and everything above suffers.

[davyboy]

It is amusing watching starling looking for grubs in the lawn.

If one looks as if it's found something another one rushes over and pushes it out of the way.

The grass is always greener elsewhere.

[hauxwell]

Remember in the 70's after a drive down a motorway or through a country road your windscreen would be completely covered in dead insects. Do the same drive now and you'll get barely anything. Intensive farming and the over use of pesticides have removed billions of insects from the food chain. Remove the bottom layer of a food chain and everything above suffers.

 

I think you are right. I remember driving on the Motorways in the late 70s and cleaning my car windscreen at service stations because of the insects.

Never given it much though until you have mentioned it. Driving back and forwards to Sheffield and Newcastle at the moment, I can’t remember the last time I had to do this.

[El Cid]

I think you are right. I remember driving on the Motorways in the late 70s and cleaning my car windscreen at service stations because of the insects. Never given it much though until you have mentioned it. Driving back and forwards to Sheffield and Newcastle at the moment, I can’t remember the last time I had to do this.

 

Fewer bugs means a downward decline in the food chain; WE ARE ALL DOOMED.

[Blade73]

I've 5 bird feeders in my apple tree and nothing from the smaller birds just wood pigeons that have figured out if they bash the feeder the seed falls on the grass and they hoover it up. But haven't seen any small birds use them, its odd.

[Padders]

Remember in the 70's after a drive down a motorway or through a country road your windscreen would be completely covered in dead insects. Do the same drive now and you'll get barely anything. Intensive farming and the over use of pesticides have removed billions of insects from the food chain. Remove the bottom layer of a food chain and everything above suffers.

 

Very interesting..Never ever gave it a thought, but now you mention it, its very true. Can"t remember last time I had to clean the windscreen of dead insects.

[mickey finn]

Growing up we used to get thousands at a time landing on the houses, they would whistle like mad then all of them would stop and stay totally silent for about ten seconds then they would all take off and swirl around for a bit and then disappear over towards Shirecliffe tip, murmuration at its finest.

[Harrystottle]

Just had 30 starlings on our back lawn.

A mistle thrush is a rare sight these days thpugh.

[scousemouse]

'Starlings looking for grubs in the lawn?' Good luck with that in my garden I have artificial grass!