A ring ouzel was found in hawthorns along the river bank near the visitor centre 18 April. This bird, a male, was just passing through on its way to a rocky upland valley somewhere further north. Ring ouzels are superficially similar to blackbirds but seen well they look and behave quite differently. Besides the white crescent on the breast, the wings have quite obvious pale panels, which look silvery in flight. Ring ouzels are often very wary and flighty on passage, this bird spent most of its time hidden deep amongst the foliage of the river-side bushes. They have a wild quality which blackbirds seem to have lost due to them spending their existence in close proximity to humans. They're good birds, a brief taster of northern wilderness and worth trying to catch up with in spring.
The first hobby of the year was seen 18 April, two whimbrel flew over 19 April.
Nice bird. We had one on passage in our field (south Norfolk).