Baby Starling in the Grass

This little starling was hopping around my backyard, squalking for his mama, and I think his main worry was that he hadn't figured out the whole "flying" thing yet. He just kept hopping around, looking curiously at everything, including me!

When I noticed him looking at me, I did the "curious" head-tilt, and I think he understood -- he was so amazingly unafraid! I got close enough to get this shot with a 3 megapixel camera and only 3x optical zoom! I bet I could've gotten closer, but I just didn't want to teach it that all humans could be trustworthy, and so I stopped after a point, moving back to watch for longer.

I have to admit that, every year, I forget that I know what baby starlings look like. But after watching for awhile, it is obvious who their parents are. Keep an eye out! Maybe you'll see some this spring!