Have they done this other years? Just not as many? How long will they stay? I think that would be a little creepy, remind me of the movie The Birds. While I love to see flocks of birds in the sky...and it's sad here in the lower 48 to see dwindling numbers of birds, I think if a big flock landed in my garden and stuck around for more than a day or two, I wouldn't enjoy that.

This is the first year in our yard, but they're invasive in our city and now I understand why my friends have been concerned . It is definitely creepy, like the movie !

Starlings are non-native in North America and it is legal to to trap/kill them. Apparently virtually every starling here today can be genetically traced to the first flock released in Central Park, New York by one man . Good reason not to release any non-native species (plant or animal).

They sure have become a problem up here in Anchorage ! It's like a war zone in birdland, even as a non- birder I can hear the stress of the native birds

Actually, Foral, we see starlings here, but I really think the numbers have been dwindling here as well. Sad.

Hmmm , we need an exchange program, haha - I had no idea about starling decline in Europe, thanks for that info. Will try to send a few your way by saying 'fly home, you're lost, head east!'

I'm not a birder but I'll have to learn more about this, it seems like a crazy conundrum.

Edit: I mean I can't claim to be a birder, but I love the birds in my garden and can watch them with joy... I recently downloaded Merlin app, it's very fun

We could give you your grey squirrels back in exchange for the starlings. They're a terrible pest here damaging forestry and ousting our native red squirrels.

Floral, no need for an exchange. I would gladly return your starlings and give you the squirrels to keep. Happy to toss in a few chipmunks, too. :-)

I'll send a few moose and bears ! I really miss our beluga whales, used to see them all summer :( Now it's a rarity

I think our squirrels are american red squirrels, we also have flying squirrels and arctic ground squirrels... no gray squirrels, please !