Monday 31 March 1997

Starlings feeding on mudflats: March 1997

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!

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