Pondering life amongst the spider webs.  #Wordless Wednesday  #Juvenile European Starling

Posted on October 5, 2022 by Linda Schaub

Wordless Wednesday – allow your photo(s) to tell the story.

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About Linda Schaub

This is my first blog and I enjoy writing each post immensely. I started a walking regimen in 2011 and in 2013 I decided to create a blog as a means of memorializing the people, places and things seen on my daily walks. I have always enjoyed people watching, so my blog is peppered with folks I meet or reflections of characters I have known through the years. Often something piques my interest, or evokes a pleasant memory from my memory bank, so this becomes a “slice o’ life” blog post. I respect and appreciate nature and my interactions with Mother Nature’s gifts is also a common theme. Sometimes the most-ordinary items become fodder for points to ponder over and touch upon. I retired in March 2024 after a career in the legal field. I was a legal secretary for almost 45 years, primarily working in downtown Detroit, then working from my home. I graduated from Wayne State University with a degree in Mass Communications (print journalism) in 1978, though I’ve never worked in that field. I would like to think this blog is the writer in me finally emerging!! Walking and writing have met, shaken hands and the creative juices are flowing in Walkin’, Writin’, Wit & Whimsy. I hope you think so too. - Linda Schaub
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52 Responses to Pondering life amongst the spider webs.  #Wordless Wednesday  #Juvenile European Starling

  1. Anne's avatar Anne says:
    October 5, 2022 at 5:15 am

    I see the Common Starlings (as they are called here) are in their breeding garb, complete with yellow beaks.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:
      October 5, 2022 at 7:45 pm

      Anne, I actually had to reach out to a birding site on Facebook (“What’s This Bird?”) to find out what this bird was. I’d have never guessed it was a juvenile Starling as I’ve only seen an adults with the flashy iridescent feathers and yellow beaks. I uploaded the photo on that FB site and within a minute or two, at least ten people responded with the same answer. I thought it looked so pensive sitting on that branch.

      Like

  2. Okay's avatar rajkkhoja says:
    October 5, 2022 at 5:36 am

    I hope it’s Sparrow. Here I see it’s.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. LaShelle's avatar LaShelle says:
    October 5, 2022 at 7:17 am

    What a beauty!

    Like

  4. Barbara Rodgers's avatar Barbara Rodgers says:
    October 5, 2022 at 7:27 am

    Perhaps he’s just waiting for a nice juicy spider to show up for his breakfast. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:
      October 5, 2022 at 8:21 pm

      Now there’s a thought Barbara. I saw the spider webs on the branches and was pleased they showed up in the pictures. This is the bird that I reached out to the group at the “What’s This Bird?” Facebook site. I’d have never guessed it was a Starling – no black, iridescent plumage yet and it was not singing.

      Liked by 1 person

      • Barbara Rodgers's avatar Barbara Rodgers says:
        October 6, 2022 at 7:18 am

        Starlings can look so different at different times and seasons. I saw a large flock of juveniles once and submitted it to the group, thinking I had found a new life bird. Very embarrassed when they identified juvenile starlings for me! I should have known because I’ve seen the young ones with their parents at the feeder I used to have. They make a terrible squawking noise while demanding their parents feed them, even though they were the same size as their parents. But I didn’t recognize them out in the wild without their parents.

        Liked by 1 person

      • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:
        October 6, 2022 at 8:16 pm

        I had exactly the same experience Barbara and finding out it was a Juvenile Starling was a surprise and I told the members so. When I think of Starlings, I think of the loud, iridescent-looking Starlings with their unmistakable song. The parents ought to try getting them used to being on their own when they’re younger than that!

        Liked by 1 person

  5. peggy's avatar peggy says:
    October 5, 2022 at 8:16 am

    Nice capture of this Starling.

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Jessica's avatar Jessica says:
    October 5, 2022 at 11:08 am

    Beautiful! If you ever publish your bird/animal pictures, let me know please!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:
      October 5, 2022 at 8:29 pm

      Thank you Jessica! It will be a long time before that could happen. This Summer I have had a great run on finding birds, some I’d never seen before like the Sandhill Cranes. I have been having fun with Wordless Wednesday – a different bird very Wednesday since August 24th and I think I have about four more. This bird was so still and looked so lost in thought, I got close and it never got spooked.

      Liked by 1 person

  7. Laurie's avatar Laurie says:
    October 5, 2022 at 3:10 pm

    Looks like fall!!! Spooky spider webs and “blackbird” make me think of Halloween. How did it get to be October already?

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:
      October 5, 2022 at 8:40 pm

      I almost saved this bird for around Halloween time Laurie, as chances of photographing a live bat are slim to none. It feels like mid-September today and yes, I’d like to roll the clock back to enjoy some more sunny and warm days (even though I whined about them at the time).

      Liked by 1 person

  8. Rebecca's avatar Rebecca says:
    October 5, 2022 at 4:27 pm

    Tucked away in a safe, calm place. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  10. indianeskitchen's avatar indianeskitchen says:
    October 5, 2022 at 9:23 pm

    I’ve probably had them here and thought it was a sparrow but the beak gives it away.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:
      October 6, 2022 at 7:35 pm

      First time to see a young Starling Diane – I asked a Facebook birding group (“What’s This Bird?”) as I wanted to give it a name. Yes, it was a long beak. I ordered a book today to ID Michigan birds. Somewhere downstairs I have a book for birds in North America I got decades ago, but I can’t access it. It’s in a desk drawer and I have Rubbermaid containers piled up all around it. No words sometimes for my organization these days.

      Like

  11. Shelley@QuaintRevival.com's avatar Shelley@QuaintRevival.com says:
    October 6, 2022 at 6:22 am

    So cute…she was watching you. Great photos 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  12. Gr33n Raindeer's avatar Fairy Queen says:
    October 6, 2022 at 9:00 am

    This bird is very beautiful. I wonder which singing he has.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:
      October 6, 2022 at 8:22 pm

      It looks so different from its parents Fairy Queen – they are black and iridescent looking. Their song is actually very pretty when you hear them singing and the mimic other birds when singing as well.

      Liked by 1 person

  13. AnnMarie R stevens's avatar AnnMarie R stevens says:
    October 6, 2022 at 9:57 am

    Miss Linda…………………………I’m surprised that you mentioned the word “spider web:………………………….you who are fearful of arachnids!!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:
      October 6, 2022 at 8:25 pm

      Ann Marie – You know me well! I wanted to add to the title “you would never catch me pondering life anywhere where a spider is looming and building webs.”

      Like

  14. Ally Bean's avatar Ally Bean says:
    October 6, 2022 at 10:46 am

    Beautiful photo, but I’ll admit that he looks hungry to me. Perhaps he allows those webs to exist on purpose… waiting for his spider dinner to arrive.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:
      October 6, 2022 at 8:28 pm

      That very well could be Ally. Tricky little critter. I am very scared of spiders and I wanted to add that if I was pondering life, it would not be anywhere near a spider web where a spider might jump out at me.

      Liked by 1 person

  15. Tom's Nature-up-close Photography and Mindfulness Blog's avatar Tom's Nature-up-close Photography and Mindfulness Blog says:
    October 6, 2022 at 3:23 pm

    Great pics of the bird (and i like the vine twisties)! 😊

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:
      October 6, 2022 at 8:41 pm

      Thanks Tom and I think the vine twisties helped the spider with his web … (“I’ll just hook this strand here and jump across to the other side and hook it there as well.”) 🙂

      Like

  16. Hugh W. Roberts's avatar Hugh W. Roberts says:
    October 7, 2022 at 5:31 am

    Super photos of wildlife again, Linda. I can even see the details in the feathers.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:
      October 7, 2022 at 7:47 pm

      Thank you Hugh. I think this young Starling never saw me so it wasn’t spooked, so I kept getting closer and closer to it. I was happy to see the details in its feathers and the spider webs as well!

      Liked by 1 person

  17. Amorina Rose's avatar Amorina Rose says:
    October 8, 2022 at 8:48 pm

    On my latest blog I had my own ‘ponderer’. I swear the bird knew I admired it and posed for effect.

    Liked by 1 person

  18. Janis @ RetirementallyChallenged.com's avatar Janis @ RetirementallyChallenged.com says:
    October 10, 2022 at 6:43 pm

    Beautiful picture, Linda. Are Starlings those birds that swoop around the sky in huge masses? I’ve seen videos, but I’ve always wanted to see that amazing sight for myself.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:
      October 11, 2022 at 10:17 pm

      Thank you Janis. Yes, that is starlings that form murmurations. I have never seen one of the huge murmurations, but often see smaller groups at Lake Erie Metropark. I just saw one last Saturday. Unfortunately I was looking down as something rustled in the bulrushes. There are mink at this park, so I was hoping to see one, but it was a cat crouched down and almost hidden. When I looked ahead I saw the murmuration. I got some pics, but not the “huge swoop” which is amazing to see, like they are choreographed!

      Liked by 1 person

  19. J P's avatar J P says:
    October 14, 2022 at 5:35 am

    I can’t say that I have ever been able to ID a starling, much less a juvenile one. Good job!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:
      October 14, 2022 at 8:30 pm

      Thanks JP! Unfortunately I cheated and reached out to “What’s That Bird?” for help. I uploaded the photo and half a dozen folks answered within a minute. I finally bought a Michigan Birds manual just this week as I’ve found so many different birds this Summer.

      Liked by 1 person

  20. Prior...'s avatar Prior... says:
    October 23, 2022 at 2:42 pm

    just ove the calmness in these bird shots – so peaceful Linda

    Liked by 1 person

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