These two male Ring Ouzels were found today in the village of Morborne near Peterborough by patch watcher Andrew Gardener and represent my first local Ouzels for 2 years. They were quite shy, staying on the far side of the field and frequently disappearing back into the hedge for cover, but were seen feeding well.
The Ring Ouzel is another bird whose numbers have fallen by over 50% in the last ten years, with between 6,000-11,000 pairs breeding in the country. They breed in the upland areas of Wales, Scotland, south-west England, the Pennines, the Cheviots, North York Moors and parts of western Ireland. They pass through our area en route to these sites and have their favoured stopping off points, an area of which is Morborne Hill and the surrounding countryside.
A beautiful little bird I have never seen John.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing yours.
Thanks Andrew,
DeleteI am lucky in having seen a few. I also saw several dozen in one place whilst visiting Morocco a few years ago, that was a sight worth seeing!
J
Great report John. Despite efforts every year I am yet to see one
ReplyDeleteThanks Mike,
DeleteThey are not always easy birds to pin down. Last year one was in our area, but was extremely flighty and was only seen by about 3 people, despite many attempts by others.
I am sure your time will come.
J
Wow! thats a nice tick again John.
ReplyDeleteI guess this is the Folksworth to Morborne road where they were a couple of years ago
Hi Roy,
DeleteYes, it was nice to be able to add it to PBC year list. It was just off the Morborne Road, but actually in the village itself, somewhere I have never looked before.
J
Hi John,
ReplyDeleteAs usual, a most informative posting. Is there any particular reason for the decline in the Ring Ouzel's population?
Take good care, my friend.
In kindness, Gary
Hi Gary,
DeleteThank you my friend. The reasons for the decline in numbers aren`t known, although some planting of forests on their traditional upland breeding sites have been linked, whilst problems in their wintering grounds in Africa are also blamed to some extent. There is major research going on at the moment to try and come up with reasons and then solutions.
J
Great birds to see John.
ReplyDeleteWe have a few about locally at the moment. I must make the effort to go and see them.
Hi Keith,
DeleteCertainly are great birds to see, definitely worth the effort.
J
Great shot, and lucky capture.
ReplyDeleteHi Gillian,
DeleteThank you, yes lucky to have got the phone call that made me aware of their presence.
J
Haven't seen one around here for some years, John. Nice to see.
ReplyDeleteHi John,
DeleteYes, it has been a couple of years for me too, they are definitely not an annual certainty.
J
Hi John, well done! I've never seen one. There were five at a spot not too far from me a few days ago but I wasn't able to get there.
ReplyDeleteI was sure I'd commented on your lovely Yellowhammer photos but maybe I forgot to press the publish button :-( Yours was in a much nicer position than the ones I've had lately, great stuff John!
Hi Jan,
DeleteThank you. They are lovely birds to see, especially the males, with their `scaly` marks on their wings and flanks.
Thanks for your comment about my Yellowhammer post too, you are too kind.
J
It's a pity that they are not common in the south east John. I checked out some pictures in Google Images and they seem easy to identify! I am beginning to recognize more and more species now.
ReplyDeleteClick here for Bazza’s Blog ‘To Discover Ice’
Hi Bazza,
DeleteAt the moment they are coming into the country in their droves, being reported all over the place. They are certainly not common in my neck of the woods, they do tend to stop over in certain areas on their way north and west, birders just tend to check these areas out at this time of year. Sometimes they are lucky, sometimes not.
I am glad you are getting to know more birds, it takes time and experience, some of which I have, but I am always learning from better and more experienced birders that I am lucky enough to know.
J
Lucky man John. Every year I go to the coast and beyond looking for Ring Ouzels but no joy yet.
ReplyDeleteHi Mike,
DeleteYou need to look for short, cropped fields and preferably in traditional stopping off points. I am sure that you will see one eventually.
J
Another interesting bird, new to me. First in two years, but have been quite the sight!
ReplyDeleteHi Susan,
DeleteThey are lovely birds and to see two this year makes up for not seeing one last year! ;)
J