M wrote:
Could be that the starling is making an attempt to take the young plants to
the nest to freshen it up.

I too have starlings nesting in the corner ridge tile area of the house and
saw one of them swoop down and nick (at least)one of the young pansy plants
I had planted a couple of days previous. Went outside and it flew onto the
garage roof still with plant in its beak !

I have now placed wire netting on top of the remaining plants.

M

Yes, we thought about the 'nest material' theory but, as I say, the bird
is not taking the plants away; it just uproots them and leaves them
lying on the ground to die.

Another theory we've considered is that the bird is simply 'clearing'
that particular border for some odd reason, perhaps to do with courtship
behaviour or something. Last year we planted some windflowers in the
same border, and they suffered some minor starling damage too.

Wire netting will definitely be part of next year's planting procedure
here, but sadly it's too late for our zinnias this year.

Cheers,
Robin
Cheshire, UK