When summer met winter

This was the scene as I walked down the track to Mossy Lea farm below Bleaklow.

This is part of one of my two regular BTO Winter Thrushes Survey walks and today a real treat was in order.

Initially I spotted a couple of Redwings and then busy taking some photos I became aware of some bird calls alarms and disputes.

When I located the source of the noise, no surprise it was a food fight. The berries on a single Rowan tree were disappearing fast and at first it was hard to work out which birds were there. A dozen or more Chaffinches were the smaller birds involved and yes some Redwing and then the noisy ones at the top of the tree about 15 Fieldare chuntering away and the sharper alarms were Ring Ouzel. I did a double take on the initial sighting as it is late in the year for Ring Ouzel and I had to wait and wait for them to reappear eventually I got a clear view of 3 - one male with its bright white Lord Mayor's chain and 2 others that seem likely to be juveniles.

No photos as they were too far away and I only had a standard lens on the camera.

So this was a rare sight indeed a mix of Winter and Summer visiting Thrushes in one tree.

p.s. An afternoon trip with Mum and Dad for a short walk in Longdendale finished with a great view in the sunshine of another migrant bird on the way South. A superb Wheatear in Autumn colours was feeding amongst some sheep.

Sure to be the last time I see one this year.