Ring Ouzels - It's that time of year.
19th October 2020
Every autumn Ring Ouzels appear in mid-Wales on their return passage from their breeding grounds further north. They can appear anywhere but usually they choose an area with a supply of berries that can sustain them for a few days before they carry on their southerly journey to North Africa. They are seen in the main from mid-October through to early November, but they can linger well into November some years if there is a good supply of berries or the weather is favourable.
Birds always appear in the Elan valley in mid-wales, usually around the car parks which is totally out of character with their shy nature. These birds like remote craggy hillsides away from people, but these car parks are where the Rowan berries are – one of their favoured autumn foods. Ring Ouzels basically have the same diet as the Blackbird and are or course a close relative.
As in previous years reports are coming in of Ouzels in the Elan valley car parks this week but there is one major drawback in that area and that is people. There is a huge amount of people visiting the valley to see the scenery and obviously driving in and out of these car parks, however, what is more off putting are the packs of motor cyclists roaring through there - they are a real nuisance. Everybody has a right to visit there that much is obvious, but if you are a nature watcher it can be very frustrating. It is even more frustrating if you are a nature photographer because you can guarantee that just as the Ring Ouzels for example are about to perch in a favourable position a car will pull up and doors will slam and people will start talking loudly and that is the end of that!!
I remember a few years back a few birders/photographers, me included, were tucked right up in the far corner of a car park near to where birds were coming to feed on the rowans. The rest of the car park was virtually empty and we were waiting patiently with lenses hanging out of open windows of the cars waiting for a shot. Suddenly a man drove into the car park and ignored all the empty spaces and unbelievably drove up and stopped right in front of all the vehicles totally blocking the view to the birds. We couldn’t believe somebody could be so unobservant, he had every right of course to park where he pleased and we thought it was all over. His wife, however, who was more observant elbowed him and pointed in our direction the look on his face was a picture in itself as he sheepishly reversed back into the car park.
Ironically these car parks are where you will get the best shots of these birds if you are lucky with the traffic and this is just typical of nature watching. Wildlife rarely does what you want it to and people certainly never do.
Having said this I have had reasonable shots of Ring Ouzels in the spring.
But it is when they are perched in autumn rowans with the red berries and turning leaves that they are for me the most photogenic.
There are one or two quarries locally where Ring Ouzels turn up this time of year, one is a horrible remote disused place with huge hanging growths of cotoneaster drooping down vertical rock faces. I never go there because it can be quite precarious to get a decent shot and it’s just not worth it.
The other is also remote but less awkward and this week a birding friend of ours saw four birds in the ‘better’ quarry. It’s about a half mile walk up to where the birds were seen, feeding again on rowans growing out of a quarry face. Susan and I decided to have a look, and early yesterday morning we drove over there. As we were driving along the main road we could see a large bird in the middle of the road and as we got nearer we could see it was a Tawny Owl.
This happens to these birds early in the morning, it must have been hit by a car, but it didn’t look hurt just stunned, so I carried it into the long grass out of the way and we drove on fairly confident it would be OK.
When we arrived at the quarry we couldn’t see or hear any Ouzels but after about half an hour we heard the tell-tale contact calls - a soft ‘Chuk Chuk’. The birds weren’t going to come really close but that was OK, we just sat on some flat rocks on the quarry floor and watched the birds coming and going and interacting with each other – it was a very nice couple of hours.
After we left the quarry we driving along the main road where we had seen the Tawny Owl and were dismayed to find a man standing at the roadside looking at the bird exactly where we had left it. We stopped and told him what had happened and thankfully he was on the phone to a rescue centre who would take the Owl in. I hope it is going to be OK.
Birds always appear in the Elan valley in mid-wales, usually around the car parks which is totally out of character with their shy nature. These birds like remote craggy hillsides away from people, but these car parks are where the Rowan berries are – one of their favoured autumn foods. Ring Ouzels basically have the same diet as the Blackbird and are or course a close relative.
As in previous years reports are coming in of Ouzels in the Elan valley car parks this week but there is one major drawback in that area and that is people. There is a huge amount of people visiting the valley to see the scenery and obviously driving in and out of these car parks, however, what is more off putting are the packs of motor cyclists roaring through there - they are a real nuisance. Everybody has a right to visit there that much is obvious, but if you are a nature watcher it can be very frustrating. It is even more frustrating if you are a nature photographer because you can guarantee that just as the Ring Ouzels for example are about to perch in a favourable position a car will pull up and doors will slam and people will start talking loudly and that is the end of that!!
I remember a few years back a few birders/photographers, me included, were tucked right up in the far corner of a car park near to where birds were coming to feed on the rowans. The rest of the car park was virtually empty and we were waiting patiently with lenses hanging out of open windows of the cars waiting for a shot. Suddenly a man drove into the car park and ignored all the empty spaces and unbelievably drove up and stopped right in front of all the vehicles totally blocking the view to the birds. We couldn’t believe somebody could be so unobservant, he had every right of course to park where he pleased and we thought it was all over. His wife, however, who was more observant elbowed him and pointed in our direction the look on his face was a picture in itself as he sheepishly reversed back into the car park.
Ironically these car parks are where you will get the best shots of these birds if you are lucky with the traffic and this is just typical of nature watching. Wildlife rarely does what you want it to and people certainly never do.
Having said this I have had reasonable shots of Ring Ouzels in the spring.
But it is when they are perched in autumn rowans with the red berries and turning leaves that they are for me the most photogenic.
There are one or two quarries locally where Ring Ouzels turn up this time of year, one is a horrible remote disused place with huge hanging growths of cotoneaster drooping down vertical rock faces. I never go there because it can be quite precarious to get a decent shot and it’s just not worth it.
The other is also remote but less awkward and this week a birding friend of ours saw four birds in the ‘better’ quarry. It’s about a half mile walk up to where the birds were seen, feeding again on rowans growing out of a quarry face. Susan and I decided to have a look, and early yesterday morning we drove over there. As we were driving along the main road we could see a large bird in the middle of the road and as we got nearer we could see it was a Tawny Owl.
This happens to these birds early in the morning, it must have been hit by a car, but it didn’t look hurt just stunned, so I carried it into the long grass out of the way and we drove on fairly confident it would be OK.
When we arrived at the quarry we couldn’t see or hear any Ouzels but after about half an hour we heard the tell-tale contact calls - a soft ‘Chuk Chuk’. The birds weren’t going to come really close but that was OK, we just sat on some flat rocks on the quarry floor and watched the birds coming and going and interacting with each other – it was a very nice couple of hours.
After we left the quarry we driving along the main road where we had seen the Tawny Owl and were dismayed to find a man standing at the roadside looking at the bird exactly where we had left it. We stopped and told him what had happened and thankfully he was on the phone to a rescue centre who would take the Owl in. I hope it is going to be OK.