LATEST NEWS (March 2023):

- A new section has been introduced under Local Studies for the Peak District HERE
- Latest 2023 Ring Ouzel sightings HERE
- Latest photos of Ring Ouzels include an over wintering bird in Shropshire and a flying Ouzel iin County Druham HERE
- Two new reports on Ring Ouzel projects in the Peak District and on Dartmoor HERE

A new EURING/EuroBirdPortal migration atlas has just gone live on line. Click below for Ring Ouzel migration patterns.
https://migrationatlas.org/node/1629#top


A short VIDEO CLIP of an over wintering Ring Ouzel at Dogsthorpe, Cambridgeshire, taken by Paul Bolton in January 2022.

Maps from the European Breeding Bird Atlas (EBBA2) are now available online at https://ebba2.info/maps/
The link to the Ring Ouzel distribution is HERE. This shows "abundance", but various options are available. E.g. abundance, occurrence, change, etc.

Photo of Vic Fairbrother and Ken Hutchinson receiving their BTO award
Read more HERE

The following new documents are now available:
- Glen Clunie Ring Ouzel update 2019
- Key ecological features determining territory occupancy rates in an isolated population of the ring ouzel Turdus torquatus - Caren Pertl Masters thesis (2020)
- Summary of Ring Ouzel sightings records via website 2012-18
- Distribution map of Ring Ouzel sightings records via website 2012-18

- New book published: The Ring Ouzel A view from the North York Moors by Vic Fairbrother and Ken Hutchinson

Euro Bird Portal: A fascinating web site showing the migration timing for a numer of species including the Ring Ouzel

The Ring Ouzel Study Group is a group of enthusiastic ornithologists who are particularly interested in ring ouzels, and who are most concerned at the long-term decline of the species in Britain. Comprising individuals from many different parts of the country and overseas, the group meets annually in Penrith (Cumbria) to hear about the latest research, share information and to discuss plans for the future. The next Study Group meeting will take place at the George Hotel, Penrith, in March 2024.
A major strength of the group is the geographical spread of its coverage and the resulting diversity of issues concerning the conservation of the species. The group is currently chaired by Chris Rollie of RSPB Scotland (see contacts page). Many members have their own study areas and the annual meeting in Penrith provides an opportunity to share information and positively influence conservation action for the species.

The aims of the group are
- To provide a forum for the exchange of information and views
- To positively influence research and conservation action
- To facilitate and co-ordinate monitoring of the species
- To promote a wider understanding of ring ouzels and the need for their conservation

The ring ouzel Turdus torquatus is a summer migrant to Europe and Fennoscandia, where it is characteristically associated with upland areas. The British population has declined steadily since early in the 20th century, and the species' range contracted by 27% between 1970 and 1990. A national survey in 1999 suggested that this decline was continuing and estimated that fewer than 7,600 pairs remained. As a result, the species is now of high conservation concern in Britain. British and continental ouzels winter in similar areas of Spain and north-west Africa, and whereas the species has declined in Britain, its numbers are thought to be relatively stable on the continent. Therefore, it is thought that the decline in British breeding ouzels is due to factors in Britain, rather than elsewhere.

Click here to see the latest map showing the Ring Ouzel range in Europe.