Ring Ouzel

SuzieandFlo · #1 (**permalink**) 04-04-2010, 08:06 PM

I saw my first ever Ring Ouzel today

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I'd taken my dog for a walk this evening and just half a mile from my house, I saw a bird sitting on a stone at the edge of a stream.
My first thought was "what's that ?". I had seen a black bird with white on its front. I stood and watched for a little while until it flew off , flying low and following the course of the stream.
That and 7 Bullfinches have really made my day

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sunnydale · #2 (**permalink**) 04-04-2010, 08:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuzieandFlo

I saw a bird sitting on a stone at the edge of a stream.
My first thought was "what's that ?". I had seen a black bird with white on its front. I stood and watched for a little while until it flew off , flying low and following the course of the stream.

Hi SuzieandFlo,

I hope you don't mind me saying - but from your description, behaviour and the habitat, I think your Ring Ouzel was in fact a Dipper!

The RSPB: Dipper

Tracey

SuzieandFlo · #3 (**permalink**) 04-04-2010, 10:00 PM

Thankyou

To better describe the location , I was walking down a track. A single line of trees to my left which borders on to a field (permanent pasture). On my right was a dry stone dyke which is a field (permanent pasture) boundary. The field slopes down away from the dyke and there is a small stream at the bottom. The ground then slopes steeply away from the other side of the stream and then levels out to a large field. In the gully where the stream runs , there are a few mature trees , mainly beech , and a little bit of low scrub. The ground on either side of the stream tends to get waterlogged and boggy lower down the slope. The field at the top of the slope is slightly undulating on the most level part and has a line of scattered beech trees along the top of the gully.
The surrounding countryside is a mixture of mixed woodland and farmland , the farmland being mostly arable crops with some pasture and rough grassland.
The bird I saw was just sitting on a stone at the edge of the stream before it quickly flew off. It looked like a Blackbird with a white "collar".
Unfortunately , I don't have a decent camera or I would have taken a picture, but then the bird flew off so quickly that I probably wouldn't have time to take a picture. I'll be keeping a close eye on the location incase I see this bird again.
I'm new to bird watching so any advice is very welcome

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RoyW · #4 (**permalink**) 05-04-2010, 08:17 AM

I would agree that the initial description does make the bird sound very like a Dipper. The later description ("It looked like a Blackbird with a white collar") is more suited to Ring Ouzel though - or a partially leucistic Blackbird! But...a Ring Ouzel (or Blackbird) that was disturbed at the waters edge where it was drinking or bathing might fly off low and along the stream if that was the best escape route.

There have been quite a few migrant Ring Ouzels turning up recently, including the one below which stopped off near me for a couple of days, and you could have seen a migrant on route to Scandinavia, or more local upland areas (the described area doesn't sound quite right for breeding Ring Ouzels). Look for white edges to the wing feathers if you think you see one again - these are another ID feature.

Not the best of shots, but it was right at the back of a field!

diggleken · #5 (**permalink**) 05-04-2010, 08:49 AM

I agree with all of Roy's comments, and Tracey too - it sounds very much like Dipper though, especially with its undeviating flight being along the stream following the water - they always do that when disturbed.
Ring Ouzels are in decline, but are starting to arrive now, and can be spotted on passage, but their destination is usually upland moorland rocky areas.
Cheers
Ken

sunnydale · #6 (**permalink**) 05-04-2010, 08:54 AM

Hi again,

Dippers are short-tailed and short-winged and they fly very fast when disturbed. Their wings become almost a blur! Check out the stream again and look for tell tale signs of pooh on rocks (

) that stick out of the water!
Dippers tend to stay in the same areas to breed and inhabit the same stretch of water, so if it is one, you'll more than likely see it again.
A photo would confirm one way or the other

Another image I found of one sitting on a rock.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/wear/content/im...r2_470x313.jpg

If your bird turns out to be a Ring Ouzel, then congratulations!

SuzieandFlo · #7 (**permalink**) 05-04-2010, 11:42 AM

Thanks for the helpful replies

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I will go back along to where I saw the bird today and look along the length of the stream for any rocks with droppings on them.
When the bird I saw yesterday flew off , its wings were held out to the side in flight. Little bursts of flapping followed by gliding with open wings. I didn't notice any lighter silvery colouring on the wings as A - I was so excited about seeing a new bird

, and B - I had to look it up in my books when I got home

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Re migration , I'm not far from the Lammermuir Hills to the south of here (I'm only a few miles north of Soutra Hill where the snow gates get closed in bad weather), the Moorfoot Hills to the west and the Pentland Hills to the north. It's only about 40 miles to the Ochil Hills and beyond that is the Trossachs then the Grampian Mountains and Cairngorm National Park. Slightly further south are the Cheviot Hills at the Scottish/English border.
I had a look on the Scottish Ornithology Club website Bird Atlas and there have been sightings of Ring Ouzels in this area over the last few years. The recorded sightings are of single males or 2 males together and there is 1 recording of a female.
On the BTO website, there is a reported sighting of a Ring Ouzel in Nothumbria , the location on the BirdTrack map is in the Cheviot Hills. There are also reported sightings of Dippers but they are further west of here and no records of any in my area.
So , I've either seen my first ever Ring Ouzel or my first ever Dipper. I need to confirm which it is so that I can record the sighting within my 2 2km BTO BirdTrack Tetrads

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