These birds are Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris), perched on phone wires, and their flocking together is a sure sign of the arrival of autumn. They breed in solitary pairs and are then seen in the company of their noisy, begging young. But as soon as the chills of autumn set in, larger flocks appear – which is a good survival tactic, since a flock has more eyes to spot danger, and an individual within a flock stands more chance of surviving an attack from say, a Sparrowhawk, than a bird on its own – the explosion of a flock into flight can confuse the predator visually, and whereas the predator may take another individual from the flock, a bird alone is a single, sure target.
Starlings are very common here and I like them – but, then again, is there a bird that I don’t like??? Well, Ostrich was a bit over the top, certainly could be a bit pushy at times, and certainly not to be trifled with, but all other feathered friends are just that. Starlings are very garrulous and sociable, always busy bustling around – for me, they are an inextricable part of “here”, I suppose.
Click onto the image to open a larger version in a separate window – recommended.
Technique: TG-5 at 100mm (equiv); 320 ISO; Lightroom, using the Monochrome film simulation; Capture NX2 (for when the Monochrome simulation needed help – I knew I should have used Silver Efex Pro 2!!!); south Bristol; 29 Oct 2018.
ARCHIVE STILL LIFE
This is a new category on this blog – Archive Still Life studies. The Still Life definition will certainly be followed loosely – e.g. some studies may only have been made “still” by the split second opening of the camera’s shutter – and my objective will be to use as many different types / genres of subject matter as possible. Some images will be Minimalist and, in general, I try to make simpler images, rather than cramming them with visual content.
Some new Still Life studies will (hopefully!) continue to appear.
FATman Photos 
great composition.
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Thank you, my friend! 🙂
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