Was working from home due to the snow storm today and during my lunch hour I went outside and emptied out all the snow from the bowl and put some cat food in its place plus some stale pretzels. About 20min. later the Ding Donger wnt off. I grabbed the 850 .22 and it was a false alarm. It was Cardinals, Junkos and Chickadees going after the pretzel sticks which I had cut up in small 0.5" long pieces. I figure let me wait another couple of minutes, you never know. Sure enough a lone Starling showed up and I shot it in the back as it was standing on the rim of the bowl facing away from me. It flapped its wings and ended up about 3 feet from the bowl where it expired quickly. You can see where the pellet exited its chest about mid-mass.
Then around coffee break 3pm or so I went out and dumped the 2" of snow that had filled up the large bowl and put some more cat food in it. Around 3:15 a pair of Starlings flew in and started putting a hurting in the cat food, eating non-stop one piece after the other. I focused on the one that was sort of broadside to me because I like broadside shots, and the other one was inside the bowl and moving too much. I squeezed and as soon as the 14.3gr CPHP hit it, the Starling just went over to its side and never moved. Somehow the pellet hit its side but went through it at such an angle that also seemed to have hit its head because there was a big red spot by the skull.. could have been coming from the beak though too.. Don't ask me how but the bird was kind of turned so it's was not a complete broadside shot. The pellet traveled its body diagonally. I flipped it over and well.. you can see the pic
Don't ask me how, where, or what this pellet did to this Starling, but it killed it instantly. Looks like it was hit by my .25 Condor doesn't it? I swear it was the 850 .22!
Also notice a long black/gray line between the Starling and the bowl - that's one of its long wing feathers.
I was too busy with work today and only got a chance at these 2. I kept the Ding Donger off most of the day but I 'm not greedy. 2 will do just fine and will make a nice meal for a night critter
I don't leave the dead Starlings within view after I shoot them, because for some reason the Starlings don't seem to come back for more cat food with dead ones around, like they used to. They are getting smarter. I remove the dead ones promptly and they seem to return within 15-20min.
