Blencathra and Scales Tarn 2 May Sharp Edge is always a focus, shall we, shan't we attempt that airy arête. Conditions are perfect- a fine day with little wind and there's been almost no rain for weeks. Steep screes fall from Sharp Edge, to the corrie lake of Scales Tarn. Sunlight plays over outcropping crags and I think I hear ring ouzel. It's the perfect habitat, if they can tolerate the popularity of Sharp Edge. I listen, intent and eager. If only I could see the bird to confirm the sighting.
We sit on the summit of Blencathra admiring hazy vistas and a pair of ravens above us. The descent, via Blue Screes, gives a different perspective on Sharp Edge. The golden grasses of Mungrisdale Common sweep below us as we cross the source of the Glenderamackin. Suddenly there's a ring ouzel only feet away, in an earthy groove of breakaway track no wider than a sheep trod, distinctive gorget toward us. The bird flies over the edge and into the safety of the crags below.
Next day, I spend a while studying an excellent British Trust for Ornithology identification video- how to distinguish ring ouzel and blackbird. Turdus torquatus: the name highlights that distinctive white crescent on the chest - a torque. No time to admire the silver-white panel on the wing, those pale-edged feathers. But it's an exciting find. A lucky find, even when I recognise those screes and crags surrounding a corrie lake and am alert to the possibility. Of course, one always hopes for more. Longer to study the bird in its habitat and time to contemplate that silver wing panel
Next day, I spend a while studying an excellent British Trust for Ornithology identification video- how to distinguish ring ouzel and blackbird. Turdus torquatus: the name highlights that distinctive white crescent on the chest - a torque. No time to admire the silver-white panel on the wing, those pale-edged feathers. But it's an exciting find. A lucky find, even when I recognise those screes and crags surrounding a corrie lake and am alert to the possibility. Of course, one always hopes for more. Longer to study the bird in its habitat and time to contemplate that silver wing panel
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