Oh, the young

We sit in the window at the golf club as we so often do. We look along the golf course at all that greenness. Just under the window there are some shrubs, then beyond some bird feeders. This is a favoured spot for nesting. The shrubs give plenty of cover, the feeders plenty of easy food.

As we watched one shrub became covered with starlings at various stages of plumage, obviously juveniles. They’d frightened away a sparrow that had been there. Soon the sparrow returned with some friends to retake the shrub. There was no actual fighting, just gentle nudging.

We often watch the sparrows, which nest in the shrubs, feeding their young. The young have such wide insistent gaping mouths. There is no peace for the adults. They seem to be permanently either feeding or rushing off for yet more food. Thank goodness it’s not quite as unremitting for humans, though the need to earn the money to buy the food can be equally gruelling.