Greetings
I am quite comfortable with you who are in Australia sending New Guinea a
few White Ibis, and some Grey Teal to share our water while your drought
continues but I am not happy with your sending us a Common Starling to eat
our earthworms.
Late this afternoon one of my students came in to report a Black bird like a
singing starling that had left the trees and was feeding among the ducks on
the lawn at Lake two. He reported that it had not only left the trees but
also had a yellow bill. Well I never thought of Common Starling, but when
we put the scope on it - there it was in breeding plumage and being
momentarily chased by our only resident Pacific Golden Plover.
It was this time of year in 1970 (18 Oct.) that Brian Coates recorded the
first Common Starling for PNG. It was at the Moitaka Sewage ponds that
serve Port Moresby and by November that year there were three sharing roosts
with the waders. As there have not been any further reports in the PNG Bird
Society Newsletter since 1970 I presume they never established themselves. A
Common European Starling looks really out of place on this island and I hope
it stays that way.
Please be careful whatever else you send up!
Cheers
Mike
==========
Dr Mike Tarburton
Dean: School of Science & Technology
Pacific Adventist University
PMB Boroko
Papua New Guinea
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