It’s possibly Ireland’s rarest bird with just one solitary pair left on the remote scree of Glenveagh National Park.
The rare Ring Ouzel, a member of the Thrush family, looks every bit like an ordinary Blackbird apart from a distinctive white collar around its neck.
The bird featured on RTE’s brilliant ‘Birdsong’ television documentary on Sunday night last.
The documentary featured Sean Ronayne, a 35-year-old ornithologist who is attempting to record almost 200 bird species in Ireland.
One of the most interesting featured the Ring Ouzel and its attempts to survive in Ireland.
Glenveagh National Park staff explained how just one pair remain in Donegal and indeed they may be the only pair left in all of Ireland.
During his visit to Glenveagh, Sean and his team managed to record the sound of the Ring Ouzel and a camera managed to capture some rare footage of the birds.
Another pair had been spotted at Sliabh Liag but they have not been seen in recent years.
The bird spends between March and September in Ireland before heading to southern Iberia and North Africa.
However, Niall Hatch of Birdwatch Ireland told Donegal Daily that time is almost certainly running out for the rare visiter.
“As far as we know that is the only pair to visit Ireland and it nests in a very remote part of Glenveagh National Park.
“Climate change is having a huge effect on this bird. As it gets warmer, vegetation is growing at a higher level and competing birds such as the Blackbird are feeding higher up slopes and so impinging on the Ring Ouzel.
“The fact that there is a pair offers some small hope but time is running out because of climate change,” he said.
Pictured above courtesy of Birdwatch Ireland.
