I think there are too many starlings. In its own way a starling is a pretty bird, not as gracefully shaped as a dove, nor as colorful as a Goldfinch. But the sheer numbers are overwhelming. On the wing the flocks swarm and swirl like whirlwinds swooping around by the thousands. There is safety in numbers so say ornithologists - a moving group is not as vulnerable to predators as an individual. Several hundred will swoop down on a lawn and pick up insects, seeds, or leaves. They will strip a tree of its fruit in a matter of minutes. If it was your favorite tree you would consider starlings real pests.

The birds nest in attics through the tiniest of openings. They take over cavities in trees driving out beneficial woodpeckers. They chase away song birds by their sheer numbers. But what can we do?

I think we ought to eat them.

Where is an innovative chef who can bring back the notion that four and twenty birds baked in a pie would be a delicacy? Marinating in a sweet tangy liquid would create a market for a new wine from a specialty vintner. And think of the people who would make a living out of the harvesting of birds.

If we all got behind the idea we could eat the pests right into extinction. Then move on to house sparrows and urban crows and inland sea gulls. Let's do it.