A bird that’s always great to see, although a worry when they are fossicking along roadsides, because they have little road sense and are often hit by passing vehicles. A flock of about fifteen has been working through the gardens and verges along our road, finally reaching our garden the other afternoon, just seven years since the last visit. When disturbed they will fly up into a convenient tree, and sometimes those on lower branches will receive whitewash from those above, as can be seen in the last two pictures.
As Graham Pizzey once noted, they are highly sociable birds and in autumn and winter can form large flocks. Many years ago while on a walk along a back country lane, that was confirmed with a count of over one hundred and forty birds working through a bush paddock.
Click to enlarge.