• Saturday-What'sUP January 19 - 07:47 pm

The European Starling is not most people's favorite bird, due to the fact that it can be somewhat of a nuisance, but you have to admit that this photograph by Frederic W. Koski, makes it look pretty good! Did you know that any one of these birds in North America, is descended from 100 European Starlings that were released in New York's Central Park, in the early 1890's? It has now become one of the most numerous birds on the North American Continent. Living here in the U.P., it's a good thing they sport that spotted plumage. It's the perfect camoflauge for hiding while the snowflakes are falling.

Speaking of snowflakes...that's certainly a BIG one resting on the shoulder of the House Finch Ken Scheibach captured in the second photo. It's a good illustration of the comparison in size of the lake effect snowflakes we get here UP North. It's almost as big as the bird!

Both of today's shots capture the frigid feel of the air here in the U.P., but maybe not quite as dramatically as Z-Man did at last year's Polar Bear Dive:

Lovely shots...they remind me of "Arnie the Darling Starling"....anyone else remember?

Why is that "house" finch outside??

Not sure if I'm brave enough to do the polar bear dive. I have plunged into a few snow banks following a refreshing sauna though.

Love the bird shots. BUT, those people are crazy!!!! LOL But I guess it's no worse than just going outside fully dressed here today. Geez it's cold!!

This little guy was actually sleeping on this limb during our big snow storm two days ago and I was able to shot 12 photos of him.

http://www.wrrx.com/images/locutus555/nuthatchsleeps.jpg
[img]http://www.wrrx.com/images/locutus555/nuthatchsleeps.jpg[/img]

Sorry thats SHOOT...as in photo taking.

Minus ten this am (7:30 cst) in Kingsford, brrrrr. Makes one wonder how the birds stay warm when it is like this, must have a supersonic metabolism rate.

I can't believe we're actually warmer than you are, in Craig, CO, at +3! The bird shots are great...the people are nuts! Have a great day, stay warm. My pasty project got postponed yesterday...no rudebega (one more trip to the store).

-18° last I checked the weather page this morning on the wrong side of the Lake.

Brr!

A friend of mine is supposed to be going on a snowmobile trip this weekend... I sure hope he and his buddies bundle up and remember when to stop and get inside!

I look at my Pasty calendar every day and it is so neat to see the place we all love so much and the pictures are great. Will like it better when the pictures are of the warmer months.

Thanks for the bird pictures. We have a calendar that looks like that guy diving in, right in our kitchen.

It was birds like the one in the first picture, who flocked in the trees on our college campus, so badly, that we had to carry an umbrella to get to class, if you understand what I mean. Ugh! Sorry.

I love the huge snowflake on the house finch! My kids used to say those huge flakes looked like dryer lint. They would tell me, "Mom, it's linting outside." Thank you for today's pictures. :-)

I am a little disappointed I'm not in town this year to participate in the annual Polar Bear Dive. With sub-zero temps, though, maybe it's a good thing I'm missing this year's dive! I miss the crazy Yoopers with "Sisu." Maybe I'll find a hole in Dillion Lake here in CO to jump in and relive the memories. =)

Zman is at the Heikkinpäivä as we speak. Will he be doing the Polar Bear Dive this year? Will we ever find out? Myabe just take pictures of the other people brave enough to take the plunge! Interesting people want to know Zman!

Babette Tikkanen (who says she can't swin) is taking the plunge. She has raised over $200 to donate to the CLK Rotary Club for her feat. She did this a few years ago as well so she knows what she is getting into. But at today's temperature, does she?

I know Z-Man, he'll take the plunge. A nice big gulp of Jack. Right there with ya buddy!

Starlings carry the night sky on their backs. They may be nuisance birds in large numbers but I love them. I remember flocks of migrating starlings that darkened the October skies when I was young. Awesome sight!

House finches are also recent immigrants to this area. They are native to the western US, but the eastern half of the country was populated by descendants of a cageful released in NYC in 1940. They had been for sale in a pet shop illegally, but since one can't sell song birds the owners released them to avoid a fine.

Therese, were the birds named Adam and Eve?

They do not sow, nor do they reep...

I remember a song.... "Starling, Starling night... Paint your feeder blue and grey' (My best imitation at Snowmans humor)

Ha ha Mike .. I don't think they had names but we can call them that. The entire eastern flopck is inbred due to limited genetic material from the handful of progenitors, and the birds are thus susceptible to some diseases like Mycoplasma conjunctivitis.