Hoskinstown Plain this morning

[martin butterfield <>]

I went for a bike ride around the Hoskinstown Plain this morning.  Rather cool and with a lazy wind (too idle to go round you so goes straight through).   I wrote down 30 species in the 20 kms.

The most surprising observation was the number of sparrows, mainly feeding on the huge crop of Hawthorn berries.  On the eastern part of Plains Rd I noted a flock of 30 birds while on the eastern part of Briars Sharrow Rd I saw a flock of approximately 40 with another flock of approximately 60 a few bushes further on.  A few minutes later I came across a flock I estimated at 50 birds, but this may have been the gang of 60 seen earlier as I took my eye off them.

Other large flocks seen were 73 Little Ravens (42 ,31) and 84 Sulphur-crested Cockatoos (54, estimate of 30).

Two 'brown' Flame Robins were the first I have seen on the Plain this season.  Several small flocks of Yellow-faced Honeyeaters were moving with purpose in a North easterly direction.

Martin