Ring Ouzel at Wing in Hertfordshire

I popped up to Blows Downs in Bedfordshire today in search of Ring Ouzel, a good annual patch for this spring migrant.

Ring Ouzel

Lee Evans was on site scanning the paddocks with a couple of Beds birders but the locals  had just been in the paddock removing an old shed so had disturbed any birds in the area either forcing them to cover or maybe even moving them on with their journey north. So no Ring Ouzel but the locals gave me directions to Wing where a male Ring Ouzel had been reported today. I made the ten mile journey across from Beds to Bucks and walked through the country park to view the tree line where the locals had said the bird was last seen. After a few minutes I could hear the Ouzel and then it popped up onto a fence post before dropping into the field to feed. Bird 193 for the year and a cracking male it was too, Black with silver in the wings and broad white chest markings.


As I walked back to the car I had good views of a Red Kite and Kestrel overhead.

Red Kite

Kestrel