European Starlings And A Female Red-winged Blackbird — In the cheap seats

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I find this image of a group of European Starlings plus a lone female Red-winged Blackbird (at the right of the image) to be both amusing and a bit intriguing.

They remind me of spectators at a sporting event, a gaggle of fans sitting in the cheapest seats, high in the upper deck of some stadium, all intently watching the play on the field.

What are they all watching? I have no idea. Their attention appears to be riveted on something but it’s anyone’s guess as to what they see. It could be that they’re on the alert for a predator. Or, perhaps, they’re not watching anything at all. Possibly, they’re all facing in the same direction out of a shared desire to soak up a bit of warming sunlight on a chilly early winter morning.

Image made with a Canon R5, Canon EF 400mm f4 DO II lens+Canon EF 1.4x telextender, M setting (auto ISO), ISO 800, f5.6 @ 1/2000, +1 1/3 stops exposure compensation.