The Bird Collection

European Starling, Meal Time, Tylee Marsh

Dinner is Served

We were sauntering along a local boardwalk that brings visitors across a wide marsh and leads to the banks of the Rivière des Mille Îles. I had my camera in hand, but only for casual photos—no telephoto, no expectation of wildlife. Unexpectedly, I noticed a European Starling land on a nearby tree trunk. I raised the camera, aimed, focused, and clicked—capturing a fleeting but intimate moment.

In the image, the Starling clings to the rough bark of a tree, poised at the entrance to its nest. Its sleek plumage glows with iridescent blues, greens, and purples—an effect enhanced by the soft light of an overcast sky. In its bright yellow beak, an insect is clearly visible, about to be served to hungry chicks sheltered within the shadows of the hollow.

Sometimes, preparation meets opportunity. And sometimes, nature generously rewards the watchful.