The Ouzels will soon arrive and we all keenly anticipate the first sightings of the year. Kim Leyland will once again coordinate the monitoring work across the area helped by both climbers, rangers and SBSG volunteers. The team will be out most mornings April -June across the area from White Edge to Stanage North.

We have previously asked birders and photographers to observe from a distance and not to harass birds for close up pictures. Some birds may appear tolerant but Ring Ouzels are easily disturbed.  The last couple of years have seen significant growth in social media posts on Ouzel sightings and we anticipate there may well be an increased presence of both birders and photographers in 2023.

Human disturbance will certainly impact on breeding success. Please be considerate and give returning birds plenty of space.  Ring Ouzels can be fully enjoyed using binoculars, scopes and telephoto lenses. 

Please stick to footpaths when observing or looking for Ring Ouzels. 

Do not try to approach birds or get closer.  Keep still, birds may even approach you. 

If a bird is alarm calling, move further away immediately.

Observe signs and closures.

Keep dogs on leads, as required by law, 1^st March – 31^st July.

Please encourage others to follow the same guidelines and report any issues.

Many of you will be aware of a colour ringing scheme started by Kim last year to further understand survival & return rates and spatial usage of our area.  Chicks were given coloured leg rings prior to fledging.  Each bird has a unique combination of colours.  Hopefully this year these birds will return to breed and we are keen to gather as many sightings as possible.  Please note the colour of the rings on each leg Sightings can be reported to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Colour rings have been chosen so that birds can be monitored without direct contact or disturbance.  Reading colour rings is not an excuse to approach birds, colour combinations can easily be noted using optics.

Ring Ouzel Monitoring Report 2022

Kim Leyland’s annual round up of the Ring Ouzel Monitoring and Nest Protection on the Eastern Moors can be found here and Stanage North Lees estates can be found here

SBSG would like to once again express our appreciation for this vital long term monitoring project. 

SORBY RECORD 2020   

As some members will already know, the latest Sorby Record (Volume 56 from the Sorby NHS) is entirely devoted to birds. Subtitled ‘The State of Sheffield’s Birds’ it features a series of papers by Dave Gosney based mostly on his own surveys in the last 5 years, including: the numbers of birds breeding to the west of Sheffield; the numbers of birds to the east of Sheffield both in summer and in winter; the numbers of birds throughout the year in the Rivelin and Loxley Valleys; changes in numbers of flocking species to the east of Sheffield (based on details published in SBSG annual reports) and the disappearance or precipitous decline of no less than 37 breeding species to the east of Sheffield, including invaluable corroboration using the extensive records archive of the SBSG. 

So, if you’d like to see how your records have contributed to our knowledge of changing bird populations, or if you’d just like to read about what is happening to birds in the Sheffield area (east, west and suburban). 

Birds in the Sheffield Area 2019

The cover of Ravens at Eldon Hill was created by Ben Green and the text is interleaved with colour illustrations by Ben Green, Richard Dale and Paul Leonard. The colour photographs are courtesy of  A. Deighton, P. Garrity, R.D. Hill, M.N. Reeder, M. Smethurst, M Sherwon and D. Wood. It has a total of 177 pages. 

This edition is dedicated to the memory of Paul Medforth - 1951-2019. 

Main Contents: