Good morning all,
This is not one of my quirky queries or attempts at being
controvertial. Last Friday a former work colleague rang me with the following
question – “where are all the starlings….?” He lives in
Queanbeyan and has noted the almost complete lack of starlings on the
powerlines around his house. He also commented that he used to see flocks of
thousands around the Mugga Lane tip but has
not seen “any” over recent years although he has noticed the White
Ibis in big numbers. I have also noticed a dramatic drop in numbers of starlings
around both work and at home in Kaleen although lately I have had a few small
flocks (+/_ 5 - 10 birds) landing in the trees around home.
I have put the drop in numbers down to two things. Firstly
the prolonged drought locally which has probably made the ground too hard for
the birds to forage (and therefore have a very poor success rate when they try
to breed) and, in the urban area and surrounding fringe, competition from the
other “flying rat”, the Common Myna, again for food resources and for
nest sites.
Anybody got any ideas or do they disagree with the
observation and, if so, why?
Cheers,
Mark
