Black red still about last night.

Black red still around.

Black reds still around this evening.

I wonder how many did have me as a train spotter? I have to say the train spotters that were there, left so that I could do my stuff, and when the opportunity arises I will thank them if I recognise them.

I have to say that whilst conditions and circumstances were far from ideal for photography I did get to spend many hours with these birds enjoying what they go through to bring up a family and the hazards they have to put up with. Seeing things over extended periods in real time just gives you a perspective that you can not otherwise appreciate with just breif glimpses.

At the end of it all I got in a few half decent shots of our birds (despite having to use the dreaded converters and manual focus ring), so it's over to you should he wish to show them Ian

For those of you who saw the peregrines on the 'One show' I can say that I had the pleasure of using the BBC's camera, it had just been used for the wild cats on Springwatch . How could I resist the temptation? Thanks to the camera man who let me use it. What a piece of equipment!!!. It isn't until you actually operate one of those things that you realise the skill that those operators have when doing wildlife or indeed football or rugby when having to track and manually focus and deal with the sensitivity of the zoom . I would have loved to have done our black reds with that motion camera. Come to think of it , I wished I had chosen a different job!

I hope the birds hang round a little longer and are back next year.

Steve Suttill wrote:

---

I think the worst thing that could have happened to you was being mistaken for a train spotter!

Steve

---

Oh I don't know Steve, looking through a long lense, mind fully concentrating on the bird infront of you, 'tunnel vision', backing away carefully to focus the best opportunity you've have then BANG...you've just been hit by a tram! We get atleast 3 or 4 people a year under them, so take care people, there's only one winner in the tram versus person battle


-- Edited by Ian McKerchar at 13:03, 2008-07-24

I was only joking, Adrian. I think the worst thing that could have happened to you was being mistaken for a train spotter!

Steve

Black reds still present this evening. Kestrel hovered over Federation building and Printworks and a dunnock popped out to sing loud in my ear whilst I was waiting outside Victoria Station/old Post Office.

I obtained permission to photograph from carpark and in the station. I remained in public access areas. Because the birds are sched 1 listed I assumed just one position when at each location and kept low so that I could not be accused of risking disturbance albeit these birds have chosen high disturbance areas! I think it would be wrong to actively pursue the birds. It is still an offence to disturb dependant young even away from the nest.

I photographed the birds at distance and got one or two close shots. I will not be photographing again with long lens since I obtained permission for one day only.

An adult can sometimes be seen going off to feed around the M.E.N arena.

-- Edited by Adrian Dancy at 08:23, 2008-07-23

If you want to find these birds, just follow Adrian and see where his camera is pointing!

I actually found one on Monday evening, looked down and saw some lunatic with a camera crawling round on the ground in front of it!!

It may not be illegal to photograph banks, Adrian, but I think you'll find railway bye-laws are a bit more complicated...

Steve

Black reds still around trhis evening.

Don't say that, Judith - it would mean I'd walked past the nest every day and not found it!

Steve

Just out of interest, I was looking at records for this species on the database and in 2005 Nigel Troup had one singing on Federation St...the nest certainly looks as if it's been in use a few years, and I feel sure they nested last year there, judging from the sightings you and Simon Johnson had, in that area.

As far as Schedule 1 is concerned, it is an offence to approach the nest site (which in the case of this pair would have required a long ladder!). Now the young have fledged it's not so much a matter of the law but of common sense. The survival of the young is of primary importance, so we should not do anything to prevent the parents feeding them - they will be dependent for some time yet.

I don't know where they are but, from past experience, they will not remain in one place anyway. They could probably be found anywhere there are flying insects in the general neighbourhood of the nest site - buddleia bushes are a favourite.

Steve

Thanks to Adrian for showing me where to look for them. We had superb views of one adult feeding three juveniles.

Melanie - the birds have left the nest site but I'm not sure if it is o.k. for me to post where the best place is to see them as they are schedule 1. Perhaps another member can enlighten me.

Gary

Great news, Adrian - thanks for putting in all the hours - I can now complete a nest record card - I don't think the BTO will get that many for BX (sorry, BLARE)!

Steve

Adrian Dancy wrote:

---

Visit to the site this morning and I can now confirm 3 juvs....brilliant!

Edit ...confirmed with Gary Marland who enjoyed these birds for being a lifer.

-- Edited by Adrian Dancy at 12:32, 2008-07-20

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Well luck was on your side today,l visited the site THREE times today and saw NOWT!!!

Visit to the site this morning and I can now confirm 3 juvs....brilliant!

Edit ...confirmed with Gary Marland who enjoyed these birds for being a lifer.

-- Edited by Adrian Dancy at 12:32, 2008-07-20

After many hours watching today I can only confirm that one chick has fledged.

At 7.15pm one of the juvenile peregrines had a go at one of the adult black redstarts as it took off to the Victoria rail station car park. It was a close call.

Think you must have been stood right next to me and Rose, we were going to post exactly the same sequence of events! The peregrine flew off towards the cathedral and not very far off our heads! amazing stuff!


in that same area we also had Magpie, Crow and Pigeon - not bad for urban manchester!

Dave

Two hours at the nest site this evening with no visits by any of the adults. However one adult seen during the course of high drama as a juvenile peregrine falcon landed on the roof of the Federation building overlooking Corporation Street. It was very vocal and a blackbird and a pied wagtail (obviously with a nest nearby) came to bravely mob the bird. The black redstart sat on Victoria station roof and did a lot of calling as did many local song birds but no young seen. When the peregrine flew off the black redstart flew onto the federation building and then around it collecting food near nest site but I did not see it enter the nest hole or come out of it..

I later saw a black redstart return to Victoria station where it collected food from the open steelwork, then it flew back onto the Federation building. I checked the nest site again but no bird seen around the nest hole nor were there any sounds coming from the nest hole. Chicks have probably fledged....? I will check things out again in morning. It would be nice to know how many have fledged, if they have.



-- Edited by Adrian Dancy at 20:25, 2008-07-18

-- Edited by Adrian Dancy at 20:29, 2008-07-18

Chicks have not fledged. They were very vocal in the nest this afternoon Steve and I were not at all confused as to where the sounds were coming from.

I saw both the male and female visit the nest between 8.50am - 9am this morning.

No sign of any birds this morning - have they flown?

Steve

Steve

I stayed a good while longer and the sounds coming from the tree were in fact coming from the juvenile grey wagtails. whilst I did see a bird come down from the tree onto the wall it may well have been an adult...but who knows?

Cheers

AD

By my reckoning that should be any day now. Both adults active around the nest in the drizzle this morning.

Steve

According to Campbell & Ferguson-Lees, fledging is 16-18 days...

Late posting (don't spend all my weekends on this site!).

Whilst waiting for train home on Friday night saw one of the Black Redstarts foraging on the end of the Bury tram platform at Victoria and the adjacent car park area. I expect this will be a good place for the juveniles when they fledge (can't be long now).

Steve

Spent most of the day at the site and met a lot of people from other areas. Got one or two half decent shots in.

One of grey wags escaped with its life and missed the clutches of one of our well known raptors which puts in a lot of time at this spot. Don't ever think peregrines won't strike low in the city.

13th July 08

-- Edited by Adrian Dancy at 00:23, 2008-07-14

-- Edited by Adrian Dancy at 13:40, 2008-07-14

Like you Steve it only took me a matter of minutes before I saw one of the Black Redstarts. Just after a tram rumbled through up the hill and a lull from the sunday shoppers a female called at first, flitted in and fed on the office window ledges. Absolutely fantastic to see them at last after having spent half my life in the city without knowing or seeing.
Thanks to those who put in the leg work on finding these beauties. What a privelage to have them breeding in our city center ey!
Cheers. Henry.

Called at the site after getting off the train at Victoria on the way to the Hardrock cafe at 6.00pm tonight and the male showed up within 2 minutes! Great to see
Steve

my first visit to this site got some odd looks off passers by but who cares, both birds in and out of the nest site from 11;00/11;30 and also fly catching near to the nest site
on earlier posting about the young not making any noise i could hear the young when the parents went into the nest but nowhere near as loud as the grey wagtails young
black redstarts county 1st so was made up

Best views ever this morning at 0850. Male appeared from nest and dropped down onto the pavement right in front of me before working his way, one ledge at a time, to the top of the building. Well worth standing around in the rain for!

Steve

Stopped off on way home last night to see the Black Redstarts. Grey Wagtails were flitting around Federation St permanently and are very vocal. After approx 5 minutes both adult Black Redstarts flew in together, then the female came out with a faecal sack and flew towards Vic Station, while the Male popped out, hanged about on the ledges above the nest site and them flew off onto the roof top. Nice to see them both together at last, although they don't seem to stay still for long.

approx 13.25 first visit and very easy to find

both adults very active flycatching above my head and returning to the nest

free 24hr parking on Hanover St confirmed by a parkie nicking a BT van on double yellows below the nest

next stop round the corner

I too had noticed the difference. This morning the young Grey Wags were clearly audible above all the surrounding noise, but not a peep from the Black Redstart nest. They probably take after their parents - the male Grey Wagtail is one of the noisiest I've ever heard!

Steve

Stopped off on my way home from Liverpool tonight 7.15-55 p.m. Redstarts visiting approx. every 5 mins during this period; Grey Wags visiting their nest slightly more often -roughly 3 to 2 ratio.

Do nestlings of different species become vocal at different stages of their development, or, indeed, are some species more vocal than others? While the Wagtail chicks were clearly audible from the other end of Federation St., neither Steve Bourne (nice to chat, Steve) nor I heard anything from the Redstart nest, despite the fact that faecal sacs were being removed. Maybe it's just the enclosed area of the nest muffling the sound?

Of course there could be another expanation. Maybe there is just one chick, being zealously fed by both parents, too satiated to squawk

They'd love them, I would think!

I've caught a couple of brief glimpses of a BX - I think - flying past my office window on the 3rd floor of the Triangle building (just opposite the rounded SE apex of the Urbis building).

I thought I might put a tray of mealworms on my windowsill to entice it/them closer for pics, but before I do this can anyone tell me if this is advisable or not? (i.e. would mealworms be OK for baby BXs?)

Paul

Midday to 1pm today

3 Peregrine
4+ Grey Wagtail
Both Black Redstarts

Info thanks to Andy Isherwood

Female seen leaving the nest at 8.35am this morning with what appeared to be faecal sac.

Both grey wagtails seen also.

9.30-10.00 a.m this morning, 8 visits to the nest by the parents and faecal sac seen being carried away. Also Peregrine(twice) and Grey Wagtails.
Cheers Ian

thanks paul

brian - you can park on federation street - under the site, but don't leave your car unattended as they might ticket you if you aren't around...

will be trying to see the black reds in the morning, should be there about 730am, is it possible to drive up to the site or can you leave your car nearby?

Watched from about 4.50 to 5.55pm

Visits every 10 or 15 mins to the nest by the female which is looking quite scruffy. Not seen male. I'm glad someone else has though :)

Female seen at 6.10pm this evening before flitting off over the roof

5 visits to the nest this morning by the pair between 8.20am 8.50am in good light.

3 female visits and 2 male visits.

Both grey wagtails seen also.

Quite frantic feeding activity by both parents this morning just before 9am.

Chatted to interested staff member who had been talking to someone from the RSPCA (Mr Heaton, I presume). He said the CWS will be selling off the building and moving out in a couple of years. I presume the exterior of the building is listed and there should be no adverse effect on the birds and their nest sites.

Steve

Very dingy!

Appearances tonight at:

19:03
19:10
19:13 (both)
19:25
19:27
19:44
19:50 (both)
19:51
19:53
20:10
20:15 - possibly at least one bird to roost

I found it very difficult to tell which was which as most appearances were quick in and outs. Most departures were up the wall of the building and over the top in 2 or 3 stages, twice one bird flew to the apparent Co-op roof garden by the tree.

Interested office staff outnumbered "winos" by 2 - 1....

I've just seen them for the first time and I'm so chuffed I thought I'd break my silence on the forum! Saw the female arrive at the nest with a beakful of food - 5 mins later the male arrived with a beakful and she emerged, flew over to the grey wags' area for a bit and then onto the roof.

He's quite dingy isn't he?

Paul