EXCLUSIVE: Birding skilled Stuart Winter admits ‘mountain blackbirds’ are arduous to identify – however insists it is value making the hassle.
Do not let your self be bamboozled by a hoop ouzel (Picture: Getty)
Being bamboozled by the ring ouzel is turning into an exasperating spring ritual. A technology in the past these so-called “mountain blackbirds” could possibly be counted by the dozen, migrating throughout southern England in direction of Scandinavian nesting grounds. Grassy hillsides stretching from Dorset to the Humber supplied solitude and sustenance for the ouzels to recuperate throughout epic flights. And so they grew to become legendary hotspots to come across these enigmatic birds.
There was a catch. Ouzels – the phrase derives from Amsel, German for blackbird – could also be intently associated to the backyard favorite however their obsessive shyness left birders dealing with precipitous escarpments the place solely sure-footed sheep dare to tread. The prize awaiting has all the time been immense. Few birds shine brighter at daybreak or nightfall than male ouzels, displaying silver-plated wings and shimmering half-moon gorgets. Females in diluted shades of espresso and cream spark goosebumps.
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A male ring ouzel (Turdus torquatus) photographed in a British backyard (Picture: Getty)
Sadly, encounters at conventional stop-overs have gotten worryingly intermittent. The spring of 2025 was the primary in many years that I missed a hoop ouzel communion within the Chiltern Hills. Was this all the way down to dangerous luck, my lack of sustained efforts scaling steep slopes, or is one thing amiss with these most secretive of birds?
Final month, the Breeding Hen Survey revealed a 25% decline amongst British nesting ouzels over the previous decade, leaving fewer than 7,000 pairs scattered from Dartmoor, by way of Wales, the Pennines and into Scotland.
Causes are unclear however human disturbance for spare time activities, lack of juniper forest winter-feeding areas in Spain and Morocco and local weather change are attainable components. Are comparable dynamics impacting Scandinavian ouzels crossing southern England?
After final 12 months’s duck and a dozen failed makes an attempt this April, I used to be resigned to a different wash out. Then got here a heads-up from a buddy. A pair have been sheltering on a chalk slope 20 minutes from house. Eureka!
Within the honeyed, night mild a Mithril-coated male and tawny feminine foraged alongside a fluffle of bunnies, oblivious to my delighted eyes. It’s all the time a pleasure giving ouzels a perusal.
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