Black Redstart

There had been a Black Redstart not too far away from where I live for a few days, and I felt compelled to make the effort to go and see it. I usually see these birds high up on the rooftops of buildings in Manchester during the summer, so I thought it would be good to see one at a more reasonable height and position for my neck.

This little fellow was hopping around the roof of the Cat and Fiddle pub on the border of Cheshire and Derbyshire. I didn't locate it on my first attempt, so returned the next morning to find it. It hopped up into view after about 10 minutes of searching and then we just stood looking at each other for a while. So I thought it rude not to take a few pictures. Here is the little beauty.

Female/Immature Black Redstart.

You can just make out the red of the tail in this light.

Black Redstart - Little Orme

One of my intended stop offs on my North Wales trip at the beginning of March was the Little Orme in Llandudno. Black Redstarts are a good possibility here in the winter months in the quarries.

A steep climb had me wishing I had a few less layers on, but that didn't last too long on this cold day.
The tough part of the visit was just about to start though. Spotting a small grey bird amid multi faceted grey rock is not all that easy. The bird does have a nice orange tail, but in shadow it was not that easy to pick up.

Anyway, I did eventually manage to pick up on it's movement and I enjoyed watching it for a good 20 minutes or so, before leaving it to it's own devices, which mainly consisted of flycatching and insect picking.

The view from the top of the Little Orme.

Here is the little bird. So well camouflaged at a distance.

Can you see it? Just slightly left of centre. This was my problem. Without binoculars, I'd say pretty impossible to spot. Perfect habitat.

Black Redstart

I've not posted for a very long time. A lot of my time was spent training for my first marathon in October of last year. In fact, I have now run two. So I put my camera away for a bit, but still have my passion for birding, and I will be doing more this year than last. Not that I ever stop looking out and keeping my lists.

Anyway, I dusted off my camera and binoculars at the weekend when I when to Norfolk to see my parents. As luck would have it, there were a few decent birds very local in Sheringham. I pushed my year list up towards 80 for the year already.

One of my target birds was a very 'out of season' Black Redstart. A bird that I usually see high up on the buildings of Manchester city centre, and in the summer at that, it was nice to be able to see it at close quarters as it hopped around the surrounding apartments.

A great little bird to get on the year list in January.

On the lookout for insects.

An absolutely cracking bird.