V 14 No.4 - The Scottish Ornithologists' Club

Scottish Birds (1987) 14: 205-208 205
Breeding Status of the Ring Ouzel in Southeast Scotland
1985-86
IAN R. POXTON
In 1985-86 a survey was carried out of Ring Ouzels
breeding in the three main upland areas of Southeast
Scotland. 143 territories were found in 30 valleys. Most
of the valleys in the Moorfoots and Lammermuirs held
territories, but only two out of eight in the Pentlands.
Territories were associated with valleys in which heather
was the predominant vegetation and nest sites were
almost always under clumps of heather.
Introduction
The Ring Ouzel Turdus torquatus is
commonly encountered in the uplands of
southern Scotland. General impressions
suggested that its distribution was patchy,
but documentation of the number of
breeding pairs in the region was lacking. In
1985 a systematic survey was made by
members of the Edinburgh Branch of the
Scottish Ornithologists' Club Discussion
Group and the Lothian Ringing Group. The
three main hill ranges in the area, the
Pentlands, the Moorfoots and the Lammermuirs,
were surveyed with the aim of determining
the distribution and numbers of
breeding Ring Ouzels, and relating this
distribution to habitat.
From a study of breeding Ring Ouzels
in one valley system in the Pentlands between
1979 and 1984 (Poxton 1986), baseline
information such as time of arrival of
birds, general habitat, territory size and
behaviour was already available as a guide
to observers.
Methods
The three hill ranges were divided into 42
valley systems and allocated to observers.
Visits were made on at least two occasions
between mid April and mid June, and it was
recommended that early mornings or evenings
of still days were the best times to find
. ~. -
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'/ti - ......
~~ ..... Ujtv.
Ring Ouzel.
R.A. Richardson