Starling ( Sturnus vulgaris )

Back home and enjoying the good weather in the garden.  This fine fellow had me scratching my head a few times before I worked out what was happening.

I heard the call of a Buzzard, nothing new we do often hear and see them high up and over towards their nest area.  This call was loud and close, naturally I looked up searching for the bird.  Nothing!  I did this three or four times before I realised the Starling was doing a perfect mimic of the Buzzards call.  I have known all my life they are brilliant mimics but it never occured to me at first.

For the record this shot is of the male.  Very helpfully in the breeding season the beak colour changes at the base, "blue for a boy pink for a girl".  I am not kidding.  There are other less obvious signs the length of the throat feathers and the length of the feathers on the back of the head.  The males are longer.