Ring Ouzels
The Peak District National Park is a popular breeding site for the Ring Ouzel. A beautiful and distinctive bird that is part of the Thrush family.
They breed at high altitudes in steep gullies and rocky outcrops. They are slightly smaller and slimmer than a Blackbird. The male is particularly distinctive with his black plumage with a pale wing panel and striking white breast. Females are similar, but the black is often more brownish, and the white parts duller.
They are our only summer visiting thrush, arriving from their wintering grounds in the Atlas Mountains of North Western Africa to breed here on high ground. In Britain they are of high conservation concern and are classified as Red Listed due to their population decline in the last forty years.
The Ring Ouzel Study group is a group of ornithologists who share an interest in this bird and who are concerned at the species decline in Britain. These recent images are from this year. It was great to see these incredible birds once more.
Leave a Reply