Two recent trips to Guam gave little in the way of new information about
the Brown Tree Snakes. Two biologists I met (one on Rota) gave
discouraging reports on efforts at control. There seems to be a feeling
that they are nowhere near discovering a workable way to solve the
problem, concentrating instead on how to prevent their spread to other
islands.

I discussed the issue with 27 adult students in a class I was teaching,
asking them how many had seen or had encounters with the snakes. Most of
the students are Chamorro and reside in the villages on the island. Only
one had seen a snake in the wild, underscoring the nocturnal nature and
secretivenss of the snakes. Many had seen them on the roads at night. All
were aware of the problems but the snakes were not a factor in their
lives.

I had a couple of interesting birding experiences last week on Guam.
While sitting on the balcony at the Hilton, about 75 feet from some trees
at the edge of the ocean, two Yellow Bitterns landed in the tree and gave
me a ten minute up close look with the binoculars. Beautiful birds. No
sooner had they flown than two dark morph Pacific Reef Herons landed on
the lawn and proceeded to chase down what I assume were Geckos or other
small reptiles.

Across the island I found a spot with exposed shoreline and found a large
gathering of shore birds. In the group were Whimbrel, Ruddy Turnstone,
Wandering Tattler and Gray-Tailed Tattler, and, a lifer for me, a large
flock of Mongolian Plover, many in breeding plumage. Lots of Pacific
Golden Plovers were seen in areas around the island where there were
large, open areas of grass.

The loss of birds was sadly evident on a two-hour land and water
excursion up the Talafofo River. Not one bird seen or heard in what is
rather pristine jungle and forrest.

Grant Hendrickson
Redmond, WA
grant at brigadoon.com