With the sudden influx of Ring Ouzels in the country, I thought it a good time to explore a little country lane just outside Ely that I've been meaning to have a look at for ages. It runs north from the vets, parallel to the bypass and passes by a small golf course, a fishing pit and a smallish meadow- all linked by mature hedges. A Barn Owl hunted- as per usual it seems these days, and the now ubiquitous Linnets sang in brambles, but the only signs of fresh migration were a couple of Chiffchaffs and a Blackcap.
I didn't want to go home without having seen an ouzel, so I drove further out to Pymoor to see if the bird that Dunc had found yesterday was still about. At first the only thrushes I saw were a couple of Fieldfare, a Song Thrush and three or four Blackbirds- but just as my eye was wandering towards a pair of Grey Partridge in the adjacent field, the ouzel- white blaze shining- appeared on top of the dividing hedge about two hundred metres away. A few brief and distant views were all I could get, but Ring Ouzels seem to be designed to be easily enjoyed at any range, with their simple but eye-catching outfit and alert posturing.
Having to go into town this afternoon I took the opportunity to drop into Roswell Pits to see if the Treecreeper had stayed. No luck, but there was a pair of Great Crested Grebes building their nest raft in full view, and seven Snipe and a Little Egret on the watermeadow.
