This could also be courtship behavior - I found this in Stokes' Guide to the
Behavior of Common Birds:

"When a female is near a male's nest site the male may pick up tree flowers
or leaves and then repeatedly go in and out of the nest ... possibly in some
way alerting her to the presence of the nest hole and stimulating her to
enter it and start building."

Cheers,
Ryan

On 3/14/06, Eddie Chapman <> wrote:
>
> Hello all,
> Pat wrote:
> What I'm wondering is whether the starling was just making use of handy
> nesting material, or whether starlings decorate their nests with pretty
> things like bowerbirds.
> ********************************************
> It was just making use of handy nesting material. Starlings don't decorate
> their nests.
>
> All the best,
> Eddie Chapman, Voss.  Norway.
> http://www.birdwatching-in-norway.com
> Photo Album: Eurasian Wigeon feeding in the snow.
>