You really must go see this video. It’s fascinating:
It shows a flock of hundreds (thousands?) of European Starlings all trying to pack into one small Eastern Redcedar across the street from my house. The problem is there are far more birds then can fit in the tree and at some points it starts to get pulled down. You have to see this to believe it!
He’s absolutely correct. The birds come back time and again and try landing on the same tree, only there are far too many birds for the tree to support. It appears at times that the combined weight of the avian invasion will cause the tree to fall.
It’s absolutely mesmerizing. Hitchcock would be proud.
[via Gay Orbit]
Related
Introduced in the 1890s as part of an attempt to bring to the New World all the birds of Shakespeare, the European starling (Sturnus vulgaris) is considered one of the most problematic invasive species in the U.S. given its proclivity to multiply uncontrollably and swarm in vast numbers. They readily…
January 18, 2008
In "Nature Photos"
I recently addressed some of the many introduced species in Texas, including various deer in addition to blackbucks and aoudads. It's true that there are many nonnative mammals inhabiting the Lone Star State. But what I want to address now is the odd introduction: the house finch (Carpodacus mexicanus). This…
August 3, 2010
In "Nature Photos"
Though I saw my first purple martin (Progne subis) of 2010 in the middle of February (shortly after The Big Snow™), their return has been delayed this year as opposed to years past. Too cold, I suspect. But warmth has arrived in force and the martins have followed it north.…
March 15, 2010
In "Nature Photos"