Surya, I just read "After the first molt, juveniles have grayish brown plumage with lots of white spots (see photo on left) on their head and breast, and they also have a brownish/blackish bill - they almost look like a different kind of bird. It is hard to tell sexes apart." here: http://www.sialis.org/starlingbio.htm.  Whwo, I'm thinking you might be correct. When I lived in Mississippi, the seasonal color difference was quite dramatic. But never have I seen both colors at the same time!

Thankfully I've seldom had to deal with grackles and starlings, but when they have appeared, chasing them off with a Viking yell and a broom eventually seemed to drive them away permanently, as well as entertaining my neighbors. Of course it probably helped that I never ground feed, had no platform or other feeders they could access, and the vast majority of spilled seed was Nyjer, which they can't eat. So - slim pickin's, combined with crazy broom-wielding lady = starling-grackle-elimination-success! Taking it a step further, when I eliminated all mixes and went to feeding one kind of seed per feeder (sunflower seeds in one, nyjer in the other), many other pests stopped coming by. Apparently millet is much-beloved of several pesky species. Finally, switching to clingers-only feeders eliminated the mob of English house sparrows that had taken over my yard last year, driving off ALL the other birds, including the hummers. This year I may see one or two HOSPs going after spilled seed but they never stay long. The hummers have never returned, though.

Hi Sylvia Da Costa - thanks for the update. I'm happy to hear you're toughing it out. Yesterday I felt so bad taking my feeders down at lunch so after work I stopped by my local feed mill and picked up some black striped sunflower seed (shell on) - the shells on the striped are supposedly harder to crack so I bought them hoping the starlings couldn't crack them, but the cardinals could. I also bought an upside down suet feeder which is supposed to help with starlings (even though I read some can and will hang upside down). When I came home for lunch today there wasn't a startling in sight - I was relieved but there were also less birds all together :( I couldn't take not feeding them (like normal) lol so I put out a couple more feeders today, with mix of reg seed and some premium sunflower hearts and peanuts (shell removed) - sure enough two starlings showed up - but I can handle that. I just can't handle 30 starlings and 80 in the tree nearby. I'm hoping with time, and as I continue to feed mostly only shelled seed, the starlings keep away. Once I feel more confident they are gone then I'll sneak out the good stuff for the birds I enjoy seeing. I may buy a caged peanut feeder soon because I hate to stop feeding peanuts too. Here's the one I found that I like so far. I don't know if the starlings beaks can reach in far enough (?) I'm hoping not. Duncraft sells this one for $39.95. I prefer to buy one local if I can find something similar. And for my little downy woodpeckers, I may buy this suet feeder from DrsFosterandSmith. Woodpeckers are one my favs to watch too! The norther flicker is always a delight to see.

Wish I knew. At least those birds are all too big to enter your box. If you're feeding, do research & try not to feed what attracts them. Wish you & blues success! Nicole