We couldn't resist having another look at the Ring Ouzels at Cissbury Ring. They were still gorging on the bumper crop in one of the yew trees, along with Mistle and Song Thrushes, Blackbirds, Yellowhammers and Greenfinches. The Ring Ouzel is the only British thrush which visits us in the summer; the other species are present year-round or usually found in the winter months. They breed in upland areas of Britain, stop off in pastures and on hills like Cissbury, and spend the winter around the Mediterranean. However, the birds we've been seeing are quite likely of Fennoscandian origin.
It's worth learning the Ring Ouzel's hard 'tuk-tuk-tuk' call, like a mashup of the calls of Stonechat and Blackbird. They fly more strongly than a Blackbird and have a longer tail, meaning they can be spotted with a trained eye even in flight.
There's a fair chance of seeing these silver-winged delights for another week or two, then it will be a matter of waiting till April for birds resting up on their way back north.
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