Starlings in a meter box

by Thomas Beutel

Down the street where I live there is an old electrical meter box about 10 feet up on a telephone pole. It used to meter a cable box, bit it’s now unused and the round meter part is gone so it’s just an open hole with the plugs where the meter would plug in. I guess when it was decommissioned it was not worth the cost of taking it down.

But just because it’s not used for electrical metering doesn’t mean it’s not useful. For the last few years it been occupied by nesting starlings. They are back again this year. The nest is really just the right height off the ground, and the starlings raise a successful brood every year. I always enjoy seeing them around this time of year on my daily walk.