Autumn on Black Down in October can be really good for migrant birds and a particular highlight is the Ring Ouzel which often appear in small numbers which sometimes depend on the berry crop particular on Whitebeams. This year there has been a reasonable berry crop. The peak for Ring Ouzels is normally the second week of October and they will have moved through by the end of the month. But like many things this year is different and to date none have appeared and migrants have been generally thin on the ground (or tree). I was leading a bird walk for the local Natural History society on Saturday (and they also mention Ring Ouzel as a possible highlight), so I did a couple of visits beforehand this week to check what was around.
The answer was little and there was still no real change to the NW winds. A flock of c20 Brambling has been the highlight with up to a dozen Crossbills and a handful of Redwing were the only sign of migrant thrushes. The walk went quite well and was blessed with a dry still morning and we did see the Brambling, Crossbill, Redwing, Stonechat, Redpoll and Linnet amongst other common species. Just a shame about the lack of Ring Ouzels.
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