tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6831601290924355569.post3363345541803364820..comments2017-11-13T15:01:29.647-06:00Comments on Turn Outward: Sturnus vulgarisBitterGracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18262639525430954930noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6831601290924355569.post-50800748339649477762009-01-28T19:04:00.000-06:002009-01-28T19:04:00.000-06:00Funny about "stournos"--why would that body part b...Funny about "stournos"--why would that body part be associated with stupidity? <BR/><BR/>I'm glad somebody finds them cute, by the way. They sure don't get much love over here.BitterGracehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18262639525430954930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6831601290924355569.post-71067630577068012802009-01-28T09:50:00.000-06:002009-01-28T09:50:00.000-06:00How funny! In Greek we call "sturnus" (stournos, r...How funny! In Greek we call "sturnus" (stournos, really) anyone who is obtuse! LOL<BR/><BR/>They're cute little criters, though.Perfumeshrinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06222733129203280662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6831601290924355569.post-25704723315146177722009-01-27T11:34:00.000-06:002009-01-27T11:34:00.000-06:00Margaret--You've never seen "The Birds?" You gotta...Margaret--You've never seen "The Birds?" You gotta see it. Tippi Hedren at the top of her game. That movie terrified me.<BR/><BR/>Julie, my grandmother was a force of nature. Does your account of starling arrival match Michael's? What a bizarre and stupid human trick--sounds like the kind of thing a drug manufacturer would come up with. <BR/><BR/>I wish some European reader would chime in here and tell us what they think of starlings. Do you suppose they're beloved in their native land?<BR/><BR/>Your mention of muscles makes me wonder if they'd be good to eat...BitterGracehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18262639525430954930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6831601290924355569.post-32230080094398701322009-01-27T09:44:00.000-06:002009-01-27T09:44:00.000-06:00I'm fond of starlings, mainly because of the way t...I'm fond of starlings, mainly because of the way they congregate during migratory seasons. Very large groups of human beings-- even at concerts or sports events-- always scare me a little, but huge flocks of birds, wheeling together and chattering, are purely delightful. <BR/><BR/>Of course, I've never seen the Hitchcock film.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6831601290924355569.post-75364377525665223862009-01-27T07:55:00.000-06:002009-01-27T07:55:00.000-06:00Hi. I'm glad to see stuff about starlings in your ...Hi. I'm glad to see stuff about starlings in your excellent blog. Yes, starlings are ruthless mafiosi among the native birds, but they're also the great American immigrant success story.<BR/><BR/>I just thought I'd mention that starlings were deliberately introduced into North America as part of an ill-conceived project to establish on this continent all the birds mention in Shakespeare. The organization behind this unfortunate fantasy was called the Acclimatization Society, and the man behind it was a drug manufacturer named Eugene Schieffelin. The first several pairs were released in Central Park and the first nest of starlings in the New World was found under the eaves of the American Museum of Natural History on 6 March 1890.<BR/><BR/>Starlings are also first cousins of mynahs and are known for their mimetic abilities. They can imitate footsteps, water dripping, the calls of most other birds, whatever. They're on record overhearing and repeating in a lab the sentence, "Does Hammacher Schlemmer have a toll-free number?"<BR/><BR/>And I might as well mention that these tough birds get their genus name, Sturnus, from their unusually strong and large breastbone, which anchors all those fierce muscles they use to evict other birds from their own nests.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6831601290924355569.post-81420550159378068392009-01-26T21:33:00.000-06:002009-01-26T21:33:00.000-06:00I know they're not native, but that's all. What's ...I know they're not native, but that's all. What's the scoop?BitterGracehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18262639525430954930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6831601290924355569.post-37049629156320389652009-01-26T21:17:00.000-06:002009-01-26T21:17:00.000-06:00You grandmother sounds like a real pistol! Very fu...You grandmother sounds like a real pistol! Very funny.<BR/><BR/>I presume you do know why starlings are here in North America. I presume you know just about everything! <BR/><BR/>If you don't, google it, or ask me. It's a great story!Julie H. Rosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18370626312151913595noreply@blogger.com