Autumn = Gang-gangs

This afternoon I went to the Hoskinstown Plain to try to find an Australasian Pipit for my BirdaDay entry.  On getting to Briars-Sharrow Rd the elm trees were looking very Autumnal.
Given the number of frosts down there, and the level of wind for the last two weeks I am astoished there is a leaf left on the trees,

At the NE end of the road I noticed that a hawthorn tree was pretty much leaf challenged, but very Gang-gang Cockatoo enhanced.
 As the light wasn't that special I have put in green splodges to emphasise the positions of the 8 birds.  It looked to me as though there were 3 adult males, 3 adult females and 2 juvenile males.  This is not a bad flock size, but I have seen 20+ birds several times and one year a flock of 100+ birds was reported from  the nearby Woolcara Lane.

Cutting back to today this image shows a male and - somewhat dimly - a female.
 Here is one of the males putting the beak on some haws.
 And a female doing likewise.
What about the pipit, I hear you ask.  Alas, while I am sure the paddocks were covered with them they were all sitting tightly, sheltering from the gale.  

Bird of the Day was Common Starling,   They were common indeed with several flocks of 100+ seen at various places, earning themselves a rating of 1 - give up your bins if you don't see them here and now..  (Of course at our place, much more timbered and about 100m higher, they are quite uncommon and would rate a 4 (seen 20-50% of the time).

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