Hi Aus/COG
Starlings are regular hawkers if you mean they cruise at a height trying to
catch insects, then this is common practice in their indigenous range,
especially on warm summer evenings. So, it wasn't entirely invented by those
imported Aussie Starlings. I'm sure their forebears knew well this
technique.
Looking forward to my next visit to Australia (no doubt after we have just
lost the Ashes, but I won't hold that against you, after all it is your
turn),
Best wishes
Geoff Bowen
Norwich UK
-----Original Message-----
From:
Behalf Of Ruskies
Sent: 17 November 2006 01:03
To: John Leonard; Philip Veerman
Cc: ; Birding-aus (E-mail)
Subject: Re: [canberrabirds] Starlings imitating
Woodswallows
Hi All
I've never seen this hawking by Starlings anywhere else but in Canberra
I'm curious to know if this 'hawking" started on a local basis and then
began spreading ?. I personally first seen this happening app 6 yrs ago on
Canberra Ave in the Kingston area. I know here in my area of tassie the
starlings are almost as adept at gathering nectar from blooms as the
Honeyeaters.
As for the Magpie behavior, I once witnessed an attack on a starling by
a Magpie, where the maggie had stooped on the terrified starling. I say
terrified because it was its screaming that made me look up. It struck the
starling , which plummeted into the long grass beside me, where it lay
hidden until the Magpie had flown away. .It then emerged and flew away
itself,apparetly unharmed.
This was in a large open paddock , I don't know if this happened
in such close proximity to me by accident or design by the starling trying
to gain some protection from me. Which would be even more strange as I
didn't even know the bird!
Cheers
Bob Rusk
To: John Leonard
Cc: Birding-aus (E-mail) ;
Sent: Monday, November 13, 2006 8:46 AM
Subject: [canberrabirds] Starlings imitating Woodswallows
Yes John,
I have noticed this over at least several years. Not sure starting from
when. It is curious. They are a similar shape, especially in the wings.
Philip
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