AN OUZEL ON THE SOMERSET LEVELS

Myself and my best mate Steve (the digiscoping king) Bool decided to have a days birding at RSPB Ham Wall and West Hay nature reserves on the Somerset Levels. Obviously we'd both been there before but they are such great places to visit and can sometimes throw up the odd surprise. I brought my scope this time as the birds from the hides can be a bit distant and I also want to start using my scope more often on our birding days out.

Surprisingly Ham Wall was fairly quiet but we did both see and digiscope this Marsh Harrier feeding on a dead Canada Goose on the waters edge.

Here's a short video of the scene.

 We didn't see much else there and had decided to go over to West Hay when a birder told us that there was a Ring Ouzel in the Ham Wall car park. I've never seen one and the last time Steve got to see one was years ago. Ring Ouzel's would be on passage now as they stay here to breed during Spring and Summer usually on rocky mountain slopes and then in the Autumn migrate to mountainous regions of the Mediterranean. As we got to the car park there were quite a few birders with their scopes, bins and camera's pointing towards a berry tree. We darted over there and just sat under the tree was a handsome first Winter male Ring Ouzel. 

my first ring ouzel

Steve went around the side of the berry tree and got this stunning footage.

It was so good that I took these two stunning captures from his video.

what a beauty

It stayed either underneath or in that berry tree for about twenty minutes, what a turn up for the books a Ring Ouzel at Ham Wall car park and what were the chances that we were actually going to be there on the day it turned up unbelievable.

Steve's footage was so good the warden at Ham Wall asked him if they could put it on their Facebook page and would give Steve a credit on their page for his video. So we're looking forward to seeing it on there.  

We decided to go over to West Hay now our luck was in and on our way into the reserve on one of the fields we spotted a load of Cattle Egrets a lifer for Steve, but I think he was more excited about the Ouzel.

cattle egret

At West Hay we were hoping for Bittern and Bearded Tit but although a birder said he'd seen a Bittern at one of the hides our luck didn't hold out and we didn't get to see either species. I did photograph a displaying male Gadwall, what a beautiful drake duck he was and also a Heron skulking in the reeds.

handsome male gadwall

grey heron

Although we left West Hay a little disappointed that we didn't see the Beardies or a Bittern I think the Ring Ouzel and Cattle Egrets more than made up for it, a great days birding and how lucky were we to see that Ring Ouzel.