Off to the shops ... again

We have new tenants.  It seems that a pair of starlings has chosen to nest in our roof and they are now busy rearing their chicks; and when I say busy, I mean constantly on the go.  This is a shot of one of the harried parents racing off for another beakfull.

They feed the chicks on insects, grubs and worms, which they bring back in their beaks every few minutes.  They also take out the trash, which is deposited well away from the nest so as not to give predators an indication of where the nest is.

There are plenty of magpies and other corvids around us that would be only too keen to snack on the youngsters, but the parents are suitably cautious and won't approach the nest when the jackdaws and magpies arena the vicinity.  

We have our fingers crossed that we may see some fledglings in the next few weeks.