As I was walking down a narrow country lane last Sunday, I was delighted to come across this family of Starlings – Mum, Dad and several juveniles – perched in the tops of the hedgerow that bordered the lane.

Young birds are often more trusting than adults but, in this case, the whole family was content to sit and chatter and poke about in the bushes, so I managed to get a few reasonable photos.

To me, juvenile Starlings are a bit like the proverbial ugly duckling – they start out quite plain but develop into exceedingly beautiful birds. As you can see, these young ones are just beginning to get their magnificently iridescent adult plumage.