Thursday, 29th April 2021
Late afternoon on Thursday, Maggie and John T were lucky enough to spot a Ring Ouzel on the playing field by the river, along with a group of six Mistle Thrush. Sadly, by the time John rushed home and returned with his camera it had gone.
Normally birds of more northern heath and moorland, or craggy cliff tops, this bird was likely a migrant travelling through. Ring Ouzel are uncommon in the east of England, with only around 20 sightings a year in Cambridgeshire, with only a handful of reports in the Abingtons since 2020!
Ring Ouzel are visually similar to Blackbirds, the male being black and the female dark brown, but both have a crescent-shaped mark on their upper breast. In the male, this is white and very obvious, but is more muted and can be harder to spot in the female.
Male Ring Ouzel [photo Wikipedia]
Female Ring Ouzel [photo Wikipedia]
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