The Number 19 Bus Turned Up!

 As I suggested in my last post, the principle of number 19 buses works 😊

If you're unfamiliar with this "scientific" principle, it goes that you wait for ever for a number 19 bus to come along, then when one turns up lots of them follow.

Sure enough - I missed photographing the first Ring Ouzel, but I was confident that one or more would turn up soon. As it happens there were up to 4 here yesterday so it is likely there were a few more that I missed the day before. Two nice males and a couple of females were flitting in and out of a line of blackthorn bushes, landing back into the field with plenty of juncus and sheep to get in the way of views (and photos).

Two male Ring Ouzels

Male Ring Ouzel with Fieldfare in foreground

The females didn't show themselves particularly well so I didn't get any pics of them at all, which is a pity as I haven't got a single photo of a female RO. Something to aspire to then.

I spent 5 hours out and about yesterday, with probably 3 hours around the Ring Ouzel's haunt. The hail then rain that came down with a vengence for about 20 minutes wasn't pleasant but luckily the hawthorn hedgerows sheltered me from the worst of it.

On the way home I saw a raptor being mobbed by crows - a male Marsh Harrier.

Male Marsh Harrier mobbed by crows

I also watched a Wren singing away from the bottom of a hawthorn and decided to fire off a few frames to see if I could get a decent image. Not bad but I've taken better.

Wren

The last notable birds I saw as I left the Mere were 3 Swifts over the warbler bank - the vanguard of many more to appear over the next few weeks hopefully.

One of 3 Swifts