Cape (Red-shouldered) Glossy Starling confirmed

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 09:40:58 +0400

Hello again, all DRC fans.

Great news from Sandy Ayer who recently returned from a 3-week trip to the western DRC. He writes:

Hello Tommy,

I’ve read with interest your website on the birds of the Congo and have also enjoyed browsing Afropavo. I just returned from almost three weeks in the DRC (Kinshasa and Bas-Congo province) during which time I had a fair number of opportunities to bird, although I spent almost all of my time in savanna. This was my first time birding Africa (and it was dry season) so my trip list is not very long: 103 species (no photos, unfortunately) At any rate, I thought you might be interested to know that while I was in Boma I saw what I’m convinced was a Cape Glossy Starling. It was perched in a baobab in a valley in the grasslands above the city. I had it in the scope for a couple of minutes, and it certainly matched the description and the plate in Borrow and Demey’s Birds of Western Africa. I just discovered that it was on your list, in Afropavo, no. 4 of species in need of confirmation:

Red-shouldered Glossy-Starling Lamprotornis nitens Reported near Kinshasa (Lippens & Wille) and Kwamouth (Schouteden). Also reported by Chapin (1954) who stated: "not at all common in the lower Congo, except possibly near the sea coast … I recall seeing a single flock from the Congorailway in July, but during a whole of the next month of January spent at Boma I failed to find any more".
Recorded from the Bateke Plateau just across the border in Congo-Brazzaville (Fr. Dowsett-Lemaire in. litt.).
I’d be happy to talk to you further about this sighting and my trip in general.
Sandy Ayer
Calgary, Alberta

First blog entry

Sat, 4 Jul 2009 23:39:14 +0400

Hello, all DRC fans.
This is a first try to see if it works, and if comments can be posted.
I’m happy to report that it does indeed work, so now it’s up to you to contribute.

DRC birdblog

Cape (Red-shouldered) Glossy Starling confirmed

First blog entry