RING OUZELS ON THE DOORSTEP

It had to happen, I guess. After all the chasing around to see Ring Ouzels recently it was totally predictable a couple would appear just down the road on my local patch.

My Ring Ouzel sightings have got increasingly closer to home each week. After the Bedfordshire visit a couple of weeks ago and Woldingham last week, five more arrived in the Woldingham area last Friday, just off Beech Farm Road.

Two male Ring Ouzel off Beech Farm Road near Woldingham

I managed to get up to see a couple of remaining male Ring Ouzel the following afternoon and then this morning one of my local patch reporters, Ray Baker, discovered a female – followed by a male ten minutes later – up on Nutfield Ridge, close to Glebe Pond at 9am. A patch lifer!

The male Ring Ouzel was a patch lifer for me

I was working from home today and had just about finished putting a magazine to bed so was able to make the five-minute dash up the road to have a look. A short walk along the footpath close to Glebe Pond and there feeding near some gorse bushes was a male Ring Ouzel. Ray had reported a female earlier, but I couldn't locate it, though I thought I heard a second one.

It has been a great spring for seeing Ring Ouzel and this sighting caps the lot. I had a dream the other night I discovered a Golden Oriole on the patch and was disappointed it wasn't real when I woke up. This Ring Ouzel was great compensation.