[NatureNS] Squirrel Kills Starling

References: <6043B72F-5004-4091-9319-5DC9BB20CFE3@accesswave.ca>
From: Sherman Williams <sherm@glinx.com>
Date: Sat, 17 Apr 2010 16:39:10 -0300
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
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This afternoon I happened to be looking out the window near the bird  
feeder area and noticed what I thought were two Red Squirrels  
tumbling around having a wrestling match on the ground.  Then I  
noticed black and feathers?? After a couple more rolls and bounces  
the squirrel bounded away, leaving the limp body of a starling. I  
went out and had a closeup look for myself, and sure enough the bird  
was quite freshly, dead.

It would appear that the squirrel pounced on the starling as it was  
eating crumbs under the suet block. Lately I have had 2 or 3  
starlings coming to pound away at the suet block. They knock off  
chunks that fall to the ground  (although I'd rather they didn't),  
then they drop down and gobble it up. On various occasions I've  
observed the squirrel will deliberately make a dash at the birds to  
run them off, but this is the first time I've seen such deadly contact.

Have any of you witnessed such a squirrel-bird encounter? This is a  
first for me. 

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