Late post for yesterday morning 13th Aug.

2 juvenile black redstarts were seen feeding around St Mary's Church.

Back on 18th June I watched the breeding adults with 3 of there juveniles at their breeding site so guessing these 2, now feeding for themselves are from there. Not sure how many did eventually fledge as I haven't spent a lot of time with them this year, I'm sure adrian dancy can clarify how many exactly. I couldn't find the adults on a little mooch around, maybe there are on a second brood or just moved on already.
Photos attached of the stunning adult male & female from the 18th June & yesterday's juveniles.

Great news... a few days ago I spent several hours sitting on my stool till sundown hoping to see or hear one.

I am happy to say that we have had a good year for Black Redstarts in the city centre. The habitats for urban birds are decreasing each year with gentrification and modernisation and this is only too true in Manchester city centre. Feeding and nesting sites are being lost.

This year we had two breeding pairs. Both pairs had two broods which I believe is a first for city centre Manchester. The pair at site 1, had at the start of the season, laid eggs and the sitting female later had to abandon the nest for reasons unknown. The birds started to build a new nest and then abandoned again. The birds then moved to a different territory about 150 yards away and it seems they had become comfortable with a possible new nest hole. I turned up one morning to find a man repairing the road directly underneath the nest hole, he was using a noisy compactor...it was a road where the last thing I expected was a road repair! Clearly though, the damage was done and the birds returned to a familiar building to make another nest. The important thing is the pair had two broods. We believe not less than three for the first brood and for the second we are certain that three juveniles successfully fledged and were still alive and kicking to complete independence weeks later. However, on one occasion I noticed 4 juveniles together and wondered what might be going on. I informed Steve Hart and he visited the site and discovered and imaged a juvenile with a very short tail suggesting it was just days out of the nest unlike the other juveniles which were weeks out of the nest. It would seem it had fledged in the first week of September! I later saw a second adult female but no second male. It would seem that the male at site 1 had been breeding with another female. This behaviour is entirely within the known ecology for Black Redstarts. This brings speculation into the realm of probability. Dad was playing away.

The findings at site 2 were largely unremarkable. Like the birds at site 1 we believe that three birds fledged with the first brood. I did see one fledgling get predated by a tailess Magpie. Juvenile Black Redstarts are very vulnerable to predation in the city and I have witnessed this on about 6 occasions in the past. As for the second brood, three birds successfully fledged and survived through to independence and were driven out by the male. At one point a clear offence of wildlife crime was committed as well as aggravated tresspass by the kind of people who you would describe as being 'known to the police'. I informed the police by calling 999. I gave a formal statement to the police and that is all I have to say on the matter.

In summary we have had not less than 13 juveniles fledge. When we consider that on average there are about 50 breeding pairs in the country (most around London) I think we have been very lucky.

I am very grateful to Steve Burke and Steve Hart who have helped me enormously with monitoring these birds. Their help has simply been invaluable. I have also had help from the general public, local office workers and tradesmen who allowed me to rescue a juvenile that kept on getting into the spaces around car engines. I lifted a lot of car bonnets! The building owners at site 2 should also be thanked. They cancelled a contract for the removal of vegetation to allow the birds to forage and take refuge and also allowed me to take refuge in their premises if the need arose. Thanks also to Ian McKerchar for his help when I was hospitalised. Finally thanks to Ivan Ellison for getting up early one morning so that we could mount a 6.00AM attempt to rescue of a trapped juvenile.

I will show some images later.

-- Edited by Adrian Dancy on Saturday 29th of October 2022 09:50:01 PM

One singing from the top of Manchester art gallery at the junction of Princess Street and Mosley Street at 6:55 this morning.

Steve and Adrian spent a lot more time than me watching these birds so I was waiting for them to post first!

A few images of the Black Redstarts from various visits. The male, the female, 3 juveniles together foraging, and a 4th juvenile that I didnt even know had hopped right up to me whilst I was watching the others.




-- Edited by Rob Creek on Sunday 30th of August 2020 09:08:51 AM

i can confirm that one pair of black redstarts have bred in the city centre & successfully fledged at least 4 juveniles, I myself have seen 3 juveniles but Adrian dancy has spent a lot more time with them & seen 4 juveniles. both adults are currently in moult. photos attached of one of the juveniles & male & female without there tail feathers.

Black redstart singing & showing on booth street/tib lane from 1.20pm this afternoon. After not finding any last year it was nice to see & hear.

meayrs wrote:

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HI - has anyone spotted black redstarts in the city centre (or nearby) recently? A friend is visiting from the US, and I am looking for something different to show him. I did see one of these birds near the town hall last year, but have no idea if they are still around.

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Black Redstarts in the city centre are summer visitors. April 15 saw the first sightings last year. Any sightings will be posted on this thread as they have a big fanbase amongst Manchester birders :)

A Black Redstart was on the roof of Central Library at around 11am this morning.

Totally agree Ian - I meant release the numbers?

One was repirted near Victoria Station at the weekend. Now the breeding season is over is it safe to release the known breeding attempts?

Heard and saw my first ever black redstart at lunchtime today on the chimney pot of the Albert Square Chop House  It may have been a brief view but made me smile for the rest of the afternoon - I know, I'm easily pleased.........

Andrea

Black Redstart singing from back of Bootle Street at the old Police Station and Rudy's Pizza again today at 10.48am then flew off at 10.50am towards Deansgate. Images attached shows the bird viewed from Bootle Street where I've heard it recently as previously posted, from the gates of the old Bootle Street police station which is now a derelict yard and has limited viewing.

-- Edited by Rob Creek on Friday 22nd of June 2018 03:32:30 PM

One singing from the Town Hall extension as the clock struck 9 this morning.

As per James' report, he's still there as I type! 

One singing above King St near Waterstones around 13:00

I wonder how many individuals there are in the City?

I heard singing from town hall extension when I arrived at 5.10pm. Singing stopped at 5.20pm.

I have had two probable sightings and heard singing around my office on Bridge Street. 

Black Redstart singing, feeding between Carlton House and the Town Hall at 12:05 before flying over to the top of Piccolinos on Princess St. 

black redstart singing, feeding & showing well on the cathedral & corner exchange this afternoon from 3.10pm, watched for over an hour as it was flitting around.
another was seen & heard singing on the extension of the town hall at 5.35pm for several minutes before it flew towards the midland hotel & lost to view.

One singing above Waterhouse pub 10:45

Black Redstart singing back and forth from The Waterhouse Pub/Town Hall from 16:30 until 16:40 then flew down Princess Street to the chimmneys of the Princess St Hotel where it continued to sing for another 10 minutes. At this time it appeared to be joined by another bird which without my bins handy could not 100% confirm, however I am pretty confident by size and vibrating behaviour was another Black Redstart. Both birds then flew towards the Town Hall in which one bird continued to sing until 16:55.

One singing away from the Lloyd Street end of Town Hall this morning.

Bank holiday Monday approx 11.40am.

- Black Redstart singing from same location I posted last month, from the square behind the old Bootle Street police station not far from the Town Hall and Central Library.