Facebook | Sonya Malecky Spaziani

Facebook | Sonya Malecky Spaziani: "I was surprised earlier today when headed to the barn, to hear a local starling mimick a MEADOW LARK. Starlings make all kinds of sounds, but in Oregon, Meadow Larks are NOW only found in the high desert of EASTERN Oregon (they used to be plentiful in the Willamette Valley more than 50 years ago). That's over the mountain chain and hundreds of miles away. How in the world did he hear this unmistakeable song to replay it for the barn critters?
Starlings have developed... for whatever odd fetish, the ability to mimick the sounds around them... such as crickets, even cats... but I was surprised to hear the beauty & clarity of one of the most beautiful bird songs, from this common and 'not-so-pretty' bird. This made me think of a story I wrote in July about this creative crooner ..."

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=105755062105&id=728782672&ref=mf

Simple things.
Sonya
www.wildwindart.com

The Starling

I have no rooster on my little homestead but I hear one regularly. Next to my old barn is an oak tree that a silly little male starling sits in, singing to his heart's content, momentarily pausing to see who's walking below. Starling's songs are beautiful, and as I walk beneath the oaks branches, I'm stopped short when I hear a rooster cockadoodaldoo. When he does his rooster impersonation, it's somewhat quiet and strained, so it seems like it's far away, but it's direction comes to me from over my head. He goes back and resumes his beautiful melody, and then I laugh when I hear a "meow", and resumes his song once more. Over the days, I hear his songs and his farm animal interjections, including sheep sounds, and frogs.

We're entertained by this every year, and then he has two broods of babies inside the barn wall twice each year. Hopefully passing on his peculiarity.

Simple things.

Sonya
http://www.wildwindart.com/