Last night I was in the inner city area of Cairns near dusk (I've usually
escaped to suburbia by that time of day) and was surprised at the large
numbers of over-wintering Metallic Starlings that were flying around and
roosting in the trees. They are virtually non-existent in the
outer-suburban and rural areas around Cairns at this time of year, whereas
they are common in all the coastal and near coastal areas over summer.
So I got to wondering, why are these birds keeping to the inner city,
adapting to the human jungle, while the ones that migrate still keep to the
outer areas - could there be a distinct population developing occupying a
different niche?
Is the same phenomenon noticeable in other coastal cities and towns,
Townsville, Innisfail, Ingham, Mackay?
Ian Cowan
Clifton Beach
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