Not just any Black Redstart 22nd February 2018

A couple of evenings ago I received a private message from Mark via Twitter asking me for details about where to go to see the Hawfinches at Parkend in the Forest of Dean. To cut a long story short I ended up speaking to Mark by phone, as it was easier than sending a long text, and in the course of that conversation learnt from him that there was a male Black Redstart  showing really well at a housing estate in Leighton Buzzard.

At the time I thought no more about it and it was not until yesterday that I recalled the conversation and on thinking it over decided I would really like to go and see the Black Redstart, especially as it was an adult male. I re-contacted Mark and he kindly then rang me back to give specific directions as to where to go to see the Black Redstart.

Leighton Buzzard is comparatively close to my home in Oxfordshire, about ninety minutes drive east from where I live, so I set off at seven am on a dull, cold Thursday morning with the forecast sun well and truly obscured by light cloud. Although briefed as to where to go I was none too sure what I was going to encounter apart from the fact the bird, as with many Black Redstarts was to be found in the heart of human habitation on a very large and comparatively modern housing estate. Black Redstarts used to be dwellers of cliffs and stony mountainsides but from about 1900 onwards they transferred their allegiance to industrial and urban areas which are, when you think of it, not dissimilar in appearance to their original habitat. On business visits to Germany I regularly used to see them in small towns and villages, even an airport on one occasion.

Black Redstarts are widespread in southern and central Europe, Asia and northern Africa reaching as far south as Morocco and as far east as China. In Britain however they are a very scarce breeding bird with less than a hundred pairs and found only as far north as Liverpool and Manchester.They occur in greater numbers in Britain on migration and are an early Spring migrant which is when they can turn up in virtually any built up area.

I knew that when I got to Leighton Buzzard I had to find a certain numbered house on a road called Johnson Drive and between that house and its neighbour was a small driveway that led to a number of garages and a small parking area behind the houses. Intriguingly I had been told to look out for some pallets and bird feeders behind the houses.

Most Black Redstarts I see in Britain are a dull sooty grey and almost featureless overall apart from their rusty orange tail.

A female or immature male Black Redstart seen in Oxfordshire three years ago.
Compare this with the images below of an adult  male Black Redstart

This dull plumage is typical of females and first year male birds but an older male becomes transformed into a thing of quite exceptional if understated beauty. The head and upperparts are slate grey while the face and breast are black. The closed wings each show a prominent and large white wing patch and the rump and tail are bright rusty orange.The contrast in colours is, for me, a very pleasing combination.

Last night I had checked on the  internet for any specific information about this particular Black Redstart and had found some superb photographs of it which only fired my enthusiasm to see it even more, as adult male Black Redstarts are very much in the minority with regard to my encounters with this species.

I arrived at the housing estate at just before nine and weaving my way through the usual chaos of cars delivering children to a local school found myself on a long winding road through the housing but I could not find the name of the road. I was pretty sure it was Johnson Drive but asked a lady wheeling a toddler in a pram and she told me I was indeed already on the right road. Somehow, having driven the length of the road, I had missed the driveway leading to the back of number 111 and its neighbours. I retraced my route and there was the driveway between the houses but it was so inconsequential and private looking that I could well understand why I had not noticed it.

I drove very slowly and cautiously up the short driveway past a row of wheelie bins forming a mute guard of honour and found myself in a small tarmaced area behind the houses with three or four cars parked in front of the garages. In the far corner was a tiny triangle of grass with two small bare trees from which hung some bird feeders and there to the left leaning against the end garage wall were the aforementioned pallets.

The tiny corner with the bird feeders and pallets that was the chosen location of
the Black Redstart

This had to be the spot and I decided to remain in the car, so parked as best I could in the cramped space available and sat back to await developments. It was pretty cold with the car window open but I could bear that minor inconvenience. There was no sign of the Black Redstart but the feeders were attracting some Goldfinches, Starlings and the inevitable Collared Dove.

I sat and waited, possibly for ten minutes and then. there it was, the male Black Redstart, bobbing and curtseying its body on thin black legs whilst shivering its tail in typical redstart fashion.

My expectations were not let down as this creature of beauty and restless nervous energy sat on the fence before flying to a feeder. This was not so good as aesthetically the beautiful bird looked none to good perched on the rim of a green plastic feeder and anyway the feeder was partially obscured from my line of view.

In the end it turned out quite well as the redstart  tired of the feeder and moved back to the fence and eventually came a lot closer along the fence before retreating to one of  the trees where it sat in the branches for fifteen minutes, obviously well fed and content

Up to now I had seen no one but then Roy, the finder of the bird and who lived in one of the houses overlooking where I was parked  walked up and we got talking during one of the redstart's periodic absences, although it was never gone for long.

He told me the feeders were put there by him and promptly opened the nearest garage door and took out some more mealworms and millet to tempt the redstart. I learnt from Roy that he had first seen the redstart from a window in his house and he was so excited he raced down in his bare feet to the area we were now occupying just to make sure it really was what he thought it was. The redstart had been here for at least three weeks now and had been visited by over one hundred and fifty birders during that time according to Roy. Today he was expecting a lady from Sheffield to be arriving at any minute to see the bird.

Half an hour later she duly arrived in a large 4x4, complete with a fair sized rock covered in moss which she strategically placed on a pallet to get the ultimate picture. I am sure she will not mind if I say she was more a photographer than a birder and, I hasten to add, there is nothing wrong in that.

Here dear reader I do confess to some growing anxiety about where this is all going and that I am in danger of becoming more of a photographer than a birder myself but for now I think I am keeping the balance about right. I used to make drawings of birds I saw in a notebook but now it is so easy with a camera and the results are much better. Most birders I know like a record of the birds they have seen and really there is no harm in it and virtually every birder has a camera of some sort now. 

The lady from Sheffield positioned her car at an angle to mine and we awaited the return of the redstart which did not fail on that score, regularly visiting the rock and the mealworms put out for it on top of the rock but also perching in the tree for periods when it remained relatively inactive or as inactive as such a highly strung creature can be. Roy returned with his camera and lens too. Time wore on and we moved our cars to each others spot so we could get a different angle to take pictures

The mealworms on the rock were eventually found by two greedy Starlings that promptly gobbled  them up but this was to our advantage as other mealworms spread on the tarmac meant the redstart came down to those and was even closer to our cars than before.

The lady from Sheffield departed for her long drive home just as the promised sun finally arrived in the early afternoon and for another hour I had the pleasure of watching the Black Redstart feeding periodically in the sunshine before it dived over the fence once more and was gone. I took this as my cue to leave too.

Yet more Hawfinches 12th February 2018

I doubt there will be another winter like this in in my lifetime concerning Hawfinches, so I determined to make the most of it and made a return trip to Romsey today, buoyed with enthusiasm after my success with the Hawfinches there last Wednesday.

Today was virtually identical to the day last week when I  travelled to Romsey, in that I left my home on a clear and frosty night, still in the dark at 6am, traversed roads south that were again uncongested despite it being a working Monday, arriving at Mercer Way, the unprepossessing road in an unremarkable housing estate two hours later on a cold and sunny morning and under similar blue skies.  Even one of the same photographers from last week, with many thousands of pounds of equipment was again in situ at the end of the earthen track already eyeing the 'sacred' puddle. We briefly bid each other good morning before he and his equipment disappeared under some camouflaged netting for the rest of the day. 

Cammo Man!

This however was where any similarities to my previous visit came to a stop. Stationed overlooking the famed puddle I waited expectantly for the Hawfinches to appear but it was deadly quiet. Not a sign or sound of them came from the cherry trees in the small copse by the track

The earthen track and the puddle with the copse on the right

The same confiding Robin still hopped endearingly around my feet and today a couple of Long tailed Tits were already nest building, stripping lichen from some twigs close by and flying to a bank of brambles where presumably they were constructing their marvel of a nest. A pair of Bullfinches nibbled burgeoning buds at the top of a cherry tree before the male dropped to the ground to drink from a tiny puddle at the further end of the track.This did not augur well as the Hawfinches, if they ever turned up might well do the same in which case they would be distant rather than close.

Robin

An hour, probably more passed and only two Blackbirds, a Woodpigeon and a Collared Dove had shown any inclination to drink from the puddle. Not one finch of any sort had appeared. 

Woodpigeon

I tried to cheer myself with the fact it was early yet so hope still sprang eternal but I had a sinking feeling that it was not going to go well and then as if to confound my pessimism a Hawfinch dropped down from the trees but instead of coming to the favoured puddle decided to have a drink from a much smaller puddle further away up the track. It was there only briefly, a male, and then flew off into the copse.

Slowly the numbers of birders and photographers built up until there were well over double the number that were here last time, all standing or sitting around  me. I suppose it is inevitable that with the rapid and widespread dissemination of information and photos on social media any site such as this will soon become well known and popular.Today there were just too many of us in my opinion  and I felt certain this would deter any birds coming to the puddle and regrettably so it proved to be.

Birders and/or photographers,You can never tell which these
days as everyone seems to have a camera now

Not even the ever present Chaffinches came to drink and shuffle about on the track which was quite unlike last time. A Goldfinch dropped down to drink from the puddle but immediately fled on seeing all of us ranged nearby across the track.

Everyone despite the endless wait was well behaved and kept silent for the most part but as the hours passed it was becoming increasingly obvious that  the birds were not coming to the puddle.There had been a lot of rain on the weekend so probably they had more puddles to choose from and that were less exposed. There was also a lot more disturbance from the general public than last week and I realised that this week was half term for the local schools as evidenced by numerous kids on bikes or messing around on the playground equipment and consequently making quite a lot of noise.The dog walkers were also out in force and as per usual there were the occasional spectacular incidences of selfish behaviour vis; A lady despite seeing us stood at the end of the track insisted on walking straight down the track towards us with her labrador, which diverted to sniff at and then bare its teeth at 'Cammo Man' hidden below his netting before owner and dog both moved on. She could quite easily, as others more considerate did, have taken an alternative route.

There were very sporadic visits from Hawfinches to feed on the ground by the edge of the track but always at the far end and they never looked like coming closer, preferring to feed on the edge or in the heart of the narrow copse where undoubtedly they felt more secure.

                                      Distant Hawfinches

Finally a quiet period arrived with little extraneous disturbance and the birds seemed settled and a couple of Hawfinches looked like they might come down to the ground near to us. We waited, tense and alert. Could this be the moment? But no, just at this crucial moment a lady with a voice that could alert shipping in the Channel, judging by the volume at which she shouted at her out of control  dogs, and completely oblivious of us, allowed them to run riot through the copse and around us and flush everything. Three Hawfinches rocketed out of the copse and over my head and disappeared at speed into the blue yonder.

Steve another Oxonbirder had arrived earlier as also had Bob, another friend from Sussex. We rolled our eyes in exasperation.Surely it could not get worse but as if to add to our woe a friendly cat then strolled out of the bushes. Apparently it is somewhat of a celebrity around these parts but I am afraid its celebrity did not save it from our displeasure and it got the message and departed.

After these distractions the wait just went on and on, continuously frustrating. Occasionally I could hear Hawfinches calling but they were up in the tall trees and not about to come anywhere near us. Then it all went very quiet. Noon arrived. I had been here four hours and achieved one reasonable view of a Hawfinch on the ground. One o clock, two o clock came and went and still nothing. Six hours had now passed.

Standing surrounded by my fellow birders I noticed that some Chaffinches were dropping down from the trees on the other side of the copse to feed in the grass. Just dark shapes but birds nonetheless. My experiences with Hawfinches at Parkend in the Forest of Dean told me that where the Chaffinches came down to feed so also might the Hawfinches, the two seem to go together in winter where they are both present. 

The other side of the narrow small copse was the other main area that was meant to be a good place to look for and watch the Hawfinches but up to now it had also been heavily disturbed by dog walkers and some birders who should have known better.  By now I had determined to leave  but decided that I would make my exit via the other side of the copse which was less than fifty metres away. Well you never know. Last time I was here there was a Hawfinch feeding with the Chaffinches in the grass under the trees at that very spot.

Quietly I bade farewell to Steve and Bob and walked the short distance to the far side of the copse. A dozen Chaffinches were feeding in the grass just below the overhanging cherry trees but there was no Hawfinch with them this time. I was, however, entirely on my own so waited quietly to see if anything would happen as I could hear Hawfinches calling all around me. It did, A dog walker walked straight over the grass fully aware of my presence and the Chaffinches fled into the trees!

With patience and forebearance now about running on empty I was about to give in when I heard the familar tzik tzik call of a Hawfinch and one flew over my head, a hazy impression of bulk, coloured orange and brown with white wing bars and a white tipped tail, to settle in a cherry tree and then miraculously, the same bird, a superb male, dropped full square into the grass not thirty feet from me.

Six and a half hours and at last here was the prize and what a beauty he was as he searched out cherry stones in the grass, digging them out from the leaf mould and grass and holding the large stones in his huge bill before manipulating them in his mandibles to apply the incredible pressure of which they are capable, to crack them open. Only a Hawfinch can deal with these hard stones, no other finch has the capability. He dealt with them efficiently and dexterously cracking several while I watched and clicked away with the camera.This was more like it and for five minutes he fed in the grass and all was well.

Then yet another dog walker walked straight across the grass towards the Hawfinch and Chaffinches and flushed all the birds.What is it with these people? They know absolutely what we birders are doing and can see us clearly but apparently they feel they have the privilege to go wherever they wish without any consideration. It really does annoy me as it is totally unnecessary and by now everyone from the housing estate knows why the birders are here. 

I went back to the other birders, who were still maintaining a dogged and unsuccessful vigil by the puddle and whispered to Steve about the Hawfinch I had just seen and suggested he come to my new location but delay his departure for a few minutes otherwise everyone would follow and we would have the same situation as currently existed by the puddle. Steve duly arrived five minutes later and Bob a few minutes after that. Sadly no more Hawfinches came down onto the grass but they did come into the trees close by and onto the leaf litter nearby in the copse and we got some prolonged and very good views of what appeared to be exclusively males. To my mind the Hawfinches here are more tolerant of disturbance than is usual with this species. Possibly it is because they encounter people so regularly in such a small space that they have learnt to be less fearful.  

Under normal circumstances in a normal year the views we were getting of the Hawfinches perched in the trees  and feeding in the fallen leaves would have been more than acceptable but this year is exceptional and I have been spoilt with the fabulous encounters I have had this winter with this special bird.

Oh! and one last snippet to put the icing on the cake, so to speak. While watching the Hawfinches in the trees a tiny bird flitted briefly at eye level around some ivy hanging from a tree trunk. Goldcrest? No, it looked too bright and checking in my bins I laid eyes on a Firecrest, surely one of the most beautiful of all British birds but today coming a distinct second to a Hawfinch.