The Ring Ouzel: a View from the North York Moors

In my career as a field ornithologist, I would rate one of the best projects I ever worked on as the season I spent assisting on the long-running Ring Ouzel (Turdus torquatus) monitoring project at Glen Clunie in Aberdeenshire. That project initiated my passion for the mountain blackbird and having the opportunity to spend hours among the heather and crags peering into the intricacies of Ring Ouzel life taught me so much about interpreting the behaviour of individual birds. From being a part of that project, I was able to join the Ring Ouzel Study Group; a motley band of dedicated fieldworkers and conservationists from all over the UK that meet once a year (in normal times) to talk about all things related to the moon-chested beauties, one of our least-studied Red-listed species. It was at the last group meeting that I met the authors of this new book, Vic Fairbrother and Ken Hutchinson, and since getting a taster of their remarkable fieldwork achievements in their update at the group’s meeting, I have been waiting in anticipation for their book to be published.

First and foremost, The Ring Ouzel: A view from the North York Moors is a thorough compendium of two decades worth of careful field study of a single species. But it is also a love letter to the landscapes and wildlife of Yorkshire, and the authors’ affection for these shines through. The book consists of 19 chapters, starting with a general introduction to Ring Ouzels and the current knowledge base we have about their status in the UK, and a summary of the main Ring Ouzel study areas. The major focus of the book is the authors’ study site at Rosedale in the North York Moors, and each chapter is devoted to one aspect of the Ring Ouzel annual cycle. Starting with their arrival in spring from their wintering grounds, through to breeding history at particular locations through Rosedale, and their breeding behaviour through egg, chick and fledging stages, detailed descriptions of each of these life stages are compared and contrasted with what is known about Ring Ouzel ecology elsewhere using field notes and observations from the Rosedale study site. The book also includes a very interesting chapter on Ring Ouzel communication and song which will be useful for upland ecologists in an age where sound recording is becoming more commonplace. Chapters on predation and shared habitats neatly show the interactions Ring Ouzels have with other species in the moorland ecosystem. The final chapter discusses the multitude of conservation issues that Ring Ouzels face and work that is ongoing to further study and protect them.

I really enjoyed the use of transcribed field notes and diary accounts throughout the text, as they allow the reader to be there in the field with the authors to experience the finding of a nest, a particular quirk of behaviour of one of the birds, or a change in the weather. If nothing else the book shows the value in taking brief but detailed notes in the field. A real highlight is the use of evocative watercolour plates of Ring Ouzels; a difficult subject to photograph, the paintings really show the subtleties of their character and behaviour, and they complement the photographs used in the book beautifully.

A criticism though, is the use of website addresses in the main text. These work well as handy links to further reading and references when used in a digital format like a PDF, but in a book they are jarring, and would have been better consigned simply to a references section or as footnotes.

In all this is a beautifully presented book, a treasure trove of knowledge and a great examination of Ring Ouzel ecology. It is a comprehensive endorsement of single-species studies and will be a useful touchstone for the future monitoring and conservation of one of our most vulnerable thrushes.

Book reviewed by Anthony Wetherhill