Starlings can sometimes appear rather dark, drab birds, but get them in the right light and they are quite stunning. Of course, photography is a lot about getting things in the right light.

This specimen was scrounging for crumbs as we ate sandwiches looking out over Crosby Beach and Antony Gormley’s Another Place. I believe this is a well known scrounging area for local starlings, they are always there.

Just look at the speckles on head and chest below.

Despite still being numerous in many places, starlings are in decline and red-listed in the UK. Over the last thirty years, we’ve certainly noticed a huge decline in starling numbers gathering of an evening over Knutsford to roost in Tatton Park. They were once a remarkable local spectacle.