More big flocks

[martin butterfield <>]

This morning I went for a bike ride around the core of the Hoskinstown Plain to see what was around on a brilliantly sunny but quite cool day.  

The diversity was quite reasonable with 30 species recorded on a loop of Briars-Sharrow Rd, Plains Rd, Hoskinstown Rd and the rest of Briars Sharrow.  However, t me, the more impressive thing was the biomass:
166 Australian Magpie in one paddock (they must like what thoroughbreds leave behind!) plus 30 elsewhere;
a minimum of 250 Galahs (counted in 10s, about 400m off the road)42 Little Ravens in a single flock (plus 44 elsewhere)
15 Red-rumped parrots (this species is surprisingly infrequently recorded for such a grass-ridden area);
25 Crested pigeons
50 Sulphur-crested cockatoos
89 Australian Wood Ducks in one flock (plus 42 elsewhere);
300 (a guess - they in a number of flocklets and were very mobile) Common Starlings feeding amongst grazing cattle.

In terms of diversity, the more interesting sightings were:
2 Wedge-tailed eagles
2 Skylark
3 Australian Pipits
15 Double-barred Finches (in a mixed flock with 4 Red-browed finches and approximately 12 Yellow-rumped thornbills)

As is usual at this time of year the hawthorns along the roadside were very popular with a range of species.  As with the briars and brambles of Callum Brae and Newline Paddocks they are about the only dense shrubbery in the area.

Martin