Monday 29 March 2010

Titterstone Clee - Ring Ouzel !!

A day off work and with a few hours to spare early afternoon, the prospect of a migrant forced down by the heavy rain looked promising? Venus Pool was waderless and rather than fall asleep, I opted for a visit to another Shropshire peak - Titterstone Clee! Minimal effort for this one though as you can drive to the summit....

I was going to have a good nose around the whole area but almost immediately upon entering the quarry, my ears were assaulted by an echoing 'chacking' of what could be only one thing.....






It's always a great birding buzz to find a bird you 'hope' will be there but usually isnt! I watched quietly as this cracking male Ring Ouzel flew left and then then right almost out of view. A quick call reannounced it's presence on the grassy ledges above a large boulder scree in front of me and unbelievably - it stayed! I settled down to record some images in the murk and drizzle.....








About as confiding as a Ring Ouzel could be!












There was obviously an abundance of worms in this area! Given the poor light, any of my images with 'movement' were blurred (and there's a lot of this when a worm is being yanked out of the ground). Nevertheless, here are some 'Ring Ouzel with worm' portraits!










The cloud ceiling eventually dropped and in a scene resembling pea soup, I left the bird to his worming. A couple of Wheatears had also been seen - my next target up high and I'm long overdue one of these - is a Shropshire Dotterel!! Keep watching this space....