Rind ouzel: Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)
Which was about the number I spotted on an extensive search this summer!
If this was one of the birds in the christmas line up, it would be the rarest. Despite the drastic declines of turtle dove and grey partridge, their current estimated populations of 43,000 & 14,000 respectively are above the 6-7000 breeding pairs of ring ouzels that occupy our uplands each summer.
This elusive bird of the uplands requires a special survey to keep tabs on how it is doing. The current population estimate comes from a survey in 1999, which was repeated this summer. I was one of thousands who surveyed patches of hill and moor across the UK to look for the ‘mountain blackbird’ as it is sometimes known. My areas were mainly in the Brecon Beacons. I knew they were none too numerous in the Beacons at the last survey, and I walked miles and miles in search of them,... into remoter corners, and hardly seeing a soul apart from soldiers on exercise (and a naked rambler - good for psoriasis apparently). The solitude and the views were lovely, but I was desperate to see a ring ouzel....to know if these birds were still a part of this landscape. Surely there was room for a few pairs amongst all this mountain. Eventually, in a couple of areas where the habitat was a bit more promising, I found a few. It was exhilierating to see them at last, and was topped off by seeing a family group feeding on a steep hillside late in the summer. I sat and watched, and all that walking and waiting was a small price.
Sometimes, hill and moor are not seen as being particularly 'farmed' - perhaps even relatively wild. However, the reality is that farming, through the grazing livestock that have been a part of theese landsapes for millenia, is the main influence in shaping the habitats and wildlife of these areas.
Apart from being quite rare and elusive, the below are ‘five golden nuggets of information about the ring ouzel!
• Ring ouzels leave their breeding grounds in September, migrating to Southern Spain and North-western Africa.• They are sometimes known as the ‘michaelmas thrush’ in parts where they are seen to arrive during September/October as they migrate south. • Ring ouzels generally nest in trees on the continent, whereas they generally don’t in Britain, preferring to nest under heather or bracken instead. • During the breeding season they mainly feed on earthworms and a wide range of other insects, but berries, such as from bilberry (blaeberry), become increasingly important in the autumn. • You can find out more about this special little bird at its very own website http://www.ringouzel.info/