Speckled

A beautiful shot of one of my favourite birds. I have raised three from bits of fluff. They stayed around for weeks after they fledged, visiting me several times a day.

What a lovely story! It must be nice to see them come and visit you regularly.

A beautiful pic of a bird that is _not_ popular on this side of the pond!

Thanks. What's it done to deserve a bad reputation?

The usual problems attendant on a prolific and aggressive invader species. The US government has tried controlling the populations now and again, with a notable lack of success. They also aren't protected by the Migratory Bird Act, so juveniles and adults may be trapped and/or killed at will at any time. But again, the effects have been minimal! The Wikipedia writeup has some more info:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_starling#North_America