Starling hunting in summer

In the hotter summer months, Starlings are quite active, if you know where to find them. Personally, I have not found much time this summer to search them out, with work and studying, but if you do, this is definitely a challenging type of hunting.

Hunting during this time is nothing like Spring or Winter, when the main concept is to wait for a Starling to perch in a tree. Without searching, the only ones that you'll see will  be those in the air. The cause for this is that when Summer rolls around, the parents merge with others and their young, forming compact bands which are constantly on the move from one feeding ground to another, attempting to satisfy the brown immatures endless hunger, leaving them little time for sitting in trees!

So how to find them? The feeding grounds which Starlings utilize at this time are usually fields bordered by protective brush, to enable the clumsy young to reach safety s rapidly as possible. When one such location is found, the flock descends, and begins to search for invertebrates. When the field is covered, they move on in search of another such location.

Trying to sneak up on a flock of this sort can be tricky, with several parents on the alert, but even if you do spook them, the first place they'll fly to is into the brush. Here, you can get quite close and search for the young ones hiding within. This kind of hunting works best with a smaller gun, such as my Umarex Steelstorm, as you will need space to maneuver in the brush.

As for me, I am still busy trying to wrap up Precal. These past few weeks have certainly been busy ones! Last Sat. was Chad and Angie's wedding, of which you have a sneak peak on Mazzou's Memories. This Friday is my little sisters birthday, as well as a friends B-day party, and many other similar events are creeping up fast. I also was working at the Larimore plantation of course. Besides grass cutting, I did a lot of driveway sealing, buried a wire, planted some grass, and cut down some brush.
A little while back, I got permission from Meagan Wanschura (Carpe Diem Photography) to draw Ella, a cute little 4 year old with amazing eyes! :) I will start that as soon as I finish Rena.