We moved into our new house at the same time as the starling. It was late February, and as we opened the front door for the first time, the male bird watched us from the roof. When we went inside, he too popped into his hole in the eaves. Carrying in our books and furniture over the following days, he also came and went, bringing in grasses and leaves with which he was building the nest he hoped to persuade a female to share.