15th January..... Ring Ouzel, Pitstone Hill.

Well here we are again back checkin' out the Ring Ouzel, hopefully with better luck this time. As we get out of the car, Lynne pulls up along side, have a brief chat & we go our separate ways. Seems the chat wasn't brief enough, as on reaching it's favoured spot, two birders already in situ enlighten us with the news that the dog walker we had just passed had flushed it back towards the car park & asked had we seen it.... no. Hung around here for half an hour with no sign, so headed off around the other side of the hill, couple of Blackbirds & Fieldfare. Returned via the Gulley, where a few of the Hawthorns have been massacred to let more light in to encourage the wild flowers. Back at it's favoured spot, caught sight of a likely looking Blackbird type flying down off the hill into the car park hedge, a guy with a camera makes his way over & confirms it is the Ring Ouzel, he'd just photographed it feeding on the hill. Sit watching the hedge for half an hour, decide enough is enough & we're gonna head off to Whipsnade for the Black Throated Thrush. As we walk towards the car behind the hedge Stewart hears it call, I head back to the gate, leaning on the fence post, within minutes it flies straight towards me veering off into the top of an Ivy covered bush on seeing me.                                                                                                                                      Bird in the Bush is worth......

We retreat to a safe distance & wait & wait & wait, at one point I glimpse it's beak through the leaves, 4 Meadow Pipits settle for a while on the overhead cables, as the sun comes out at midday it's rays encourage the Sky Larks to burst out in song as they get air bourne all around us. Other birders come & go, questioning our belief that it's in the bush, at 12-21 it pops at the point at which it entered.

Sits there for 2 minutes before flying back to it's favoured spot. Remaining hidden in the brambles for 14 minutes, before resuming feeding out on the hillside for a further 8 minutes.

It was then back down to the hedge line again. Thing is why is it wintering here & not in north Africa??
Don.
Images Copyright : Stewart Dennis.