Ring Ouzel photographed at Pleinmont [PLE] on 16/4/2010 Photo: © Chris Bale (visit site)

In 1978, Smith describes the Ring Ouzel as predominately an autumn migrant in Guernsey, although since at least 1924 spring records have outnumbered autumn ones (Transactions, Brock). Smith (1878) reports mostly first-year birds appearing every autumn and that they were "never very numerous, and did not remain very long, arriving about the end of September and remaining to the end of November". Since the turn of the century the Ring Ouzel has been a regular spring migrant in all the islands.

In the last twenty five years the number of sightings has increased, perhaps due to increased observer effort and experience. Ring Ouzels are one of the earliest migrants and the mean arrival date in spring is the 31 March, although this varies between 2 March and 1 May. Between 1969 and 1998 birds have been in all but four springs. Numbers recorded in spring vary from year to year, averaging appriximately 8 birds with a maximum of c. 30 birds in 1995. The majority of the records come from coastal areas, both from the cliffs in the south of the island and the low lying coastal headlands, though there are several inland records from the Foulon (2 records), Reservoir, Hautes Capelles, Rue de la Cache (?Airport) and Silbe Nature Reserve (3 records).

The spring migration is generally over by the end of the first week of May and there have been only two sightings after this date, the latest being the 28 May on Lihou. It is not uncommon for more than one bird to be recorded at a site and totals of 10 or 15 birds in Herm are not unusual. Autumn migration begins in last week of September although one bird was recorded on 12 August 1983 at Pleinmont, an extremely early date (Peter Howlett-any good?). Passage peaks in the third week of October and by the end of October the passage has virtually ceased. As in spring, birds do not tend to stay and only about 10% of sightings involve birds staying for more than one day and some of these records may be due to the birds leaving and fresh migrants arriving. There are only three records in November totaling 10 birds. Two birds have been recorded extremely late on 2 December 1985 and 19 December 1986. These birds were either over-wintering or very late migrants.

There have been only three years in the period under review where more than 10 birds have been recorded in autumn. Unprecendented numbers were seen across Guernsey in 1993 and groups of 1-30 birds were recorded all along the south coast cliffs on 15-16 October. These included flocks of 10+ birds at Icart and Jerbourg and 30+ at Les Tielles.