Rare bird spotted having 'well-earned rest' at Northumberland nature reserve

A rare bird has been spotted taking a "well-earned rest" at a Northumberland nature reserve. When volunteer Pauline Gilbertson spotted a ring ouzel at Hauxley Nature Reserve, she was thrilled as they are an unusual sight at the coast. The bird appeared to be "refuelling" at the coastal nature reserve near Druridge Bay .

A type of thrush which is a little larger than a blackbird, the ring ouzel was spotted several times at Hauxley last week. Wintering in Spain and north west Africa, it is the only thrush that visits the UK and Ireland in the summer months. Keep up to date with all the latest local news from Northumberland with our free newsletter They arrive in mid-March and depart during September and October, but are usually found in rocky crags of mountainous areas and upland moors - where their name comes from.



Alex Lister of Northumberland Wildife Trust, which manages the Hauxley reserve, said: "The ring ouzel is a bird more likely to be spotted on the Northumberland uplands rather than on a coastal reserve, so when we found out from Pauline, one of our Hauxley volunteers, that one had popped in to Hauxley for a rest on its way inland, we were all really excited. "It was seen by a number of very lucky visitors at various places around the reserve, but the best place was from the new bird viewing hide constructed last year." The ring ouzel is on the red list of birds of conservation concern following long-term declines in population and its breeding range.

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