Apologies if this note has already been received,
Further to Martin's note:
I have regularly recorded Starlings feeding on the beach on my local
patch at Seaholme (western suburbs of Melbourne) where they forage
amongst the seaweed along the high tide line. Most of the birds recorded
have been juveniles with flocks of 30+ being noted, but these are now
being 'joined' by winter (non-breeding) plumaged birds which may be
juveniles (although most of these still have some vesitiges of their
brown plumage at the moment) or adults that have finished breeding.
It is not unusual in the U.K. to see starlings feeding on mud flats or
along the high tide line - indeed piles of seaweed above the high tide
line seemed to be one flock's favoured feeding area in Whitley Bay, near
Newcastle, Northumberland (north England). In Shetland, the beach is
probably this species major foraging area during the winter, especially
in harder weather.
On a similar vein, one of the few (and possibly only) Starling recorded
from PNG was seen at the famous Moitaka sewage farm where it feed on the
banks between the settling ponds and in those delightfiully sludgy bits
around the ponds edge!
Roger Hicks
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Roger Hicks Tel : 03-9315-0353 (home)
3 Seaview Crescent, 03-9865-8613 (work)
Altona
Victoria 3018 E-mail:
Australia
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
|
