On Saturday morning I set off on my new dog walk with the pups. We walked through the bracken along to Greendale then up Greendale Ghyll heading for Tongue Gill as we got to Joss's seat the pups spotted a blackbird. On closer inspection, which was difficult as he was moving away from us, he appeared to be wearing his dinner jacket??? or, he had a white bib?? I struggled to see properly. With a little buzz of excitement I thought to myself "I'm sure that was a Ring Ouzel", but I couldn't swear to it, and he'd gone. We carried onto Tongue Gill scouring the hillside for any sign of him or his mate, but no such luck. Having had a quick drink from the beck, we came back round the path under Buckbarrow heading for home. With eyes scouring the hillside and ears pricked, I began to tune in to the various bird song. Most of the scrawny hawthorns seemed to have a yellow hammer sat in the top proclaiming " Little bit of bread and no cheese", this reminded me of my father and walks in the Ribble valley. As I mused on family walks around Clitheroe and Chatburn, I heard a shrill tweet tweet. My ears pricked and strained to catch more, but all I could hear was the chit chat of chaffinches and skylarks singing as they climbed high over head. Above the larks I could hear the soft mewing of a Buzzard as I look for the noise I could see three of them circling high above the crag, calling to each other. As I watched them, two large black birds crossed the crag face, one of them performing aerobatics flipping upside down calling caa caa to each other. The size and rasping call and the wedge tail, it was a pair of raven performing their bonding flights. As we approached the road I stopped and grabbed the pups collars as a runner came along the road. I'm not sure he would appreciate the attention of two adoring Border Collie pups. As I did there was a commotion on the crag obviously something had disturbed the jackdaws that live in the crack line half way up the crag. the cawing filled the air, and I turned just in time to see a peregrine falcon swooping through the group of jackdaws. They had obviously gone too close to the peregrines nest. I looked to the runner to see his reaction, but he was in his own little world. Was it pain or concentration I wondered. I've been there... But as he passed me I noticed the earphones, I smiled and nodded as he went past, I hope he was listening to something good, because he was missing the sounds and sights of the world at its best......
Back in the office and a quick trip to the RSPB website and my tweet tweet definitely sounded like a Ring Ouzel.
On Sunday evening Carol and I took the pups out for their walk and in the gloaming of dusk we were treated to an almost continuous Tweet Tweet as we walked back from Tongue Gill. We never saw hide nor hair of the bird, but he seemed to follow us all the way across the front of Buckbarrow.
This link will take you to the RSPB site and Ring Ouzel page, you can listen to the tweet tweet of the Ring Ouzel. You will hear them between Wasdale and Ennerdale. Red Pike, Scoat Fell, Mirk Cove and through to Revelin Crag on Crag Fell. You might even see one if your lucky.
http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/r/ringouzel/index.aspx
