Repeat rouzel

Another week of spring, another week of lockdown. I say lockdown – I’m not particularly locked down, as we ecological consultants are apparently key workers of sorts, so I’m still able to complete fieldwork where safe to do so. This means weekday mornings largely spent away from my usual beat, so this weekend was my first chance in a while to head out locally. Saturday was grey and cold, far too cold for the Australian, who remained at home, and most birds along the Dyke were likewise keeping their heads down, although the wheatears on the hill seemed happy enough.

Sunday dawned grey once more, but this time the Australian decided to join me. The ranks of the wheatears appeared to have swelled somewhat overnight, and it was while striving to get an accurate count of the distant birds through the scope that a dark thrush shot through the view. Another ring ouzel? It certainly had that feel – just a little too dynamic for a blackbird, and in an open field with little cover. It steadfastly refuse to reappear, so I decided to head over there to confirm my suspicions.

The Australian, having neglected to bring a pair of gloves, was beginning to feel the cold by this stage, and elected to return home, apparently already blasé about the possibility of an ouzel after last week's male. Made of sterner stuff, I persevered, and was rewarded by the sun emerging from the clouds just as I arrived at the right spot to illuminate a somewhat dowdy but still highly satisfying female ouzel; unlike last week's male this bird justifying its appearance here by being just about within ten miles of the Cathedral. It was hanging out with a gang of fieldfares and the wheatears – six of them it turned out, once they could be persuaded to line up in an orderly fashion for a proper count.

Roll forward to this morning, and the wheatears had dwindled to four, while the fieldfares had departed, but the ring ouzel was still very much present.

Now, I’m off to watch a six-minute video of a patch of brambles. The things some people post to YouTube…