G'day All,John Nolan is right: in British songs the term "Shearing" means shearing (harvesting) crops.If you are shearing a sheep, it is "Sheep-shearing".
BTW: Susan-Marie, you may be interested to know that Autumn is now often when sheep are shorn, since the onset of winter forces them to grow thick, warm wool as fast as possible. It is not the choice of the sheep, but it suits the grazier well!
Regards,
Bob Bolton