A productive Sunday afternoon in Shropshire!

Dippers being one of my favourite birds, I was keen to get some photos, so armed with a good friend's knowledge, I set off Sunday afternoon to a small bridge over a small river in south Shropshire, and was pleased first of all to find some grey wagtails!

Couldn't believe my luck when one very considerately perched on a branch a few feet away for a few minutes:

Then after a while, the dippers showed themselves!! Was thrilled to bits!

They were finding plenty for their young!!

Then I moved on to Titterstone Clee Hill where ring ouzel were reported. I've never seen ring ouzels before so thought I'd see if they were still around. I saw plenty of wheatears;

a female (with lots of rings!), she wouldn't turn around though!!

and here's a male:

I worked my way around the disused quarry and also saw plenty of meadow pipits too (but no decent photos). I periodically sat on a rock and watched the cliff faces but no ouzels... Two other people with a scope arrived at the other side of the quarry where I had initially started out. They spent some time looking at the faces. I wondered if I ought to go over and see if they'd seen anything, but decided against it... (knowing me, I'd spook the bird and make a nuisance of myself!!)

Anyway, I carried on to the last rocky outcrop (the quarry hadn't been used for years and was well grassed over and was also quite mossy - sphagnum! Got wet feet!! Lol) and made my way towards a large boulder, when something suddenly caught my eye! It had its back to me and looked like a blackbird.... I wished and I hoped and I begged it to turn around! Eventually, it turned slightly, just enough for me to see a small part of the white crescent on the chest. I took loads of photos although it was a bit far away. I sat down where I was in the grass (luckily, a dry patch!) and waited. It slowly got closer until I was able to take better photos:

I was so excited!!! The other people had spotted the bird but were still the other side of the quarry! I was so fortunate to be so close! After a while the people left but I continued to watch this beautiful bird! He worked his way up the face and almost reached the top when a crow came and flushed him away! He landed some distance away and the crow went after him again! I cursed under my breath as thought he would fly off even further, but to my absolute relief and delight, he turned back on himself and landed in a tree just in front of me!! Wow!! He sat there for a while and preened a bit so I took many photos of course! Here's one of my faves:

A while later another photographer arrived and the ouzel went back over to the cliff face to feed. I'd had a great sighting of him for well over an hour so left (thought that maybe the bird would come closer if only one person present).

What an afternoon!! One I won't forget in a hurry!