07/10/2020 Ring Ouzel in Sussex

 Wednesday 7 October 2020

Shooters Bottom near Beachy Head, Sussex

For the past 3 years, I have seen ring ouzels on Spring migration in Norfolk.  For Covid 19 reasons I could not do so this year so I was very keen to catch up with them on Autumn migration in Sussex.  Norfolk tends to have more of this species earlier in the year but Sussex has more on the return leg.

• I arrived just on 09.00 and about 20 minutes later I, and about 8 other birders, saw a female ring ouzel,  on the lower western slopes, in the large bush just below our viewing point from the eastern slopes.  The views were quite good as the bird flitted around.  

courtesy of Phillip Wells and Sussex Ornithological Society

• The next 30 minutes or so saw me moving around the site to see if there was a male ring ouzel too.  Alas I could not find one.
• When I returned to the starting point the female was showing again, this time on the eastern slopes about 30 metres due south of me.  It was sitting proud at the top of a low lying bush and gave us brilliant views for several minutes.  It then flew back to it's original position before becoming quite elusive.

Another smart twitch and hopefully the first of many over the next few days of this rather special migrant!