Saturday 3 April 2010

Ring Ouzels

Another weekend is upon me and I've not detailed the events from the last one yet. Not that there are many to list, given that my target birds didn't play ball. On the Saturday I thought that I ought to try again for the local avocets at the Flashes and again, they resolutely stayed on the far side of the lake, though a little ringed plover did show very well, wandering along the channel nearest the hide.

And on Sunday, I made my first trip east to Rutland, with the promise of Lagoon 4 being a hotspot for ospreys. Hmm, hot it wasn't and only one osprey showed up in about four hours, landing and then washing itself on the other side of the lake. Oh well, plenty of time to see more of those.

So here we are at this weekend and Good Friday was a complete wash out, so I stayed at home and fixed the guttering. Very rock n roll. Today though was a bit better and I met up with a friend at Titterstone on Clee Hill, in search of ring ouzels, a bird I'd never seen before.

Their call is like a cross between a thrush and a fieldfare, and was about the best way of locating them as they blended in against the rocky outcrops very well indeed. But, once located, they were fairly easy to follow, though the numerous walkers and dog-emptiers meant they often took flight. "They" as in two of them, and a bit of effort yielded some half decent results.


Aside from the ring ouzels, there were at least three wheatears around, several ravens, a kestrel and various wagtails and pipits. Might have to try my luck there again, especially if the sun is likely to come out.

1 comment:

Max Silverman said...

Well done with the RO's Pete.Nice shots.