The Starling Wars

Male Flicker visiting the suet feeder

Northern Flickers, a type of woodpecker, are all over Sequim. What Sequim lacks in variety of species it makes up for with some species in good numbers. There are Bald Eagles everywhere and I even see them shooting by from my living room windows. There are a couple of pairs of Northern Flickers that hang around, hopping around my balcony railing and sitting atop the Swallow nesting box I put there, but which is not large enough for Flickers. 

It occurred to me that HEY! I bet the Northern Flickers would love a nesting box. So I blew the mint on a beautiful Flicker nesting box from Wild Birds Unlimited. Handyman Don, hung the box off the back 2nd story patio, so the box faces trees and gets good lighting. The box was filled with cedar shavings and the only thing to do was to wait for the Flickers to discover their amazing dream house. 

Now, Barbara, my neighbor and long time friend, has the best view of the Flicker box from her cottage livingroom window. I was in my upstairs room at my desk and I got a call from her, telling me "There are Starlings going in and out of the nest box."

Oh, holy crap. A battle had begun. I raced upstairs and outside to the nesting box and lifted its lid.

The nest contained three, sky blue eggs. You would think that would make me happy but...

I double checked on line and sure enough, the blue eggs were Starling eggs - the EFFING Starlings hijacked the Flicker box! 

The battle for the Flicker nesting box had begun...