Female Ring Ouzel, MacGillycuddy Reeks, 18th June 2019 (Cait O'Neill).
Ring Ouzels are at risk of extinction as a breeding species in Ireland and it is the highest mountains of Kerry which hold most of the few remaining pairs, in the MacGillycuddy Reeks. Allan Mee has been researching the species for many years and early reports from this spring were disheartening with no birds recorded in the few traditional upland spots in April and May. Allan wrote a fantastic paper in the current issue of Irish Birds journal outlining the plight of this bird (see the BirdWatch Ireland website HERE if you would like to buy a copy), but essentially, the breeding population has fallen from 11 pairs in 2008 to the current estimate of perhaps 2-3 pairs.
Female Ring Ouzel, MacGillycuddy Reeks, 18th June 2019 (Cait O'Neill).
There's a very real chance that this species will no longer be nesting in Ireland in the next few years. Other than Kerry, just one or two nesting pairs hang on in SW Donegal, but the trajectory for both counties has been consistently downward. Several causes of this decline have been mooted... overgrazing by sheep and burning of the uplands has reduced heather cover, a seemingly critical component of a Ring Ouzel breeding territory, especially as cover from predators for fledglings in their first critical weeks of life. A warming climate seems to have made sensitive upland areas more prone to drying out, reducing the adults ability to get at earthworms.
Another possible cause .. In the past decade I've certainly seen Mistle Thrushes and Blackbirds high up on slopes on e.g. Brandon Peak, where Ring Ouzels might be expected. Are they occupying marginal high altitude territories because the Ring Ouzels are no longer there to compete? Or as things warm up, are the Ring Ouzels retreating ever higher and their ecological niches being filled by the other two thrushes?
Another possible contributory cause is increased use of uplands by humans, as Ravens and Hooded Crows increasingly search high peaks for scraps left by hillwalkers, inadvertently leading to higher predation rates on vulnerable chicks. Or are the crows also visiting upland areas more often because of increased stocking rates of sheep? Or all of the above? The answer seems hard to pin down and despite Allan's and others best efforts, the required research is just not being funded.
Meanwhile, nationally, we are down to just a few remaining pairs. Sobering indeed to think that Cait's excellent series of photos here might be documenting some of the last occurrences of this iconic upland bird in Kerry and Ireland.
Female Ring Ouzel, MacGillycuddy Reeks, 18th June 2019 (Cait O'Neill).
