What is presumably the same bird but now an adult male, is back in the same garden in Moss Side ( since about 5th December). Actual location confidential.
After Martin Whitam's outburst of elitism on the Elton Res thread, I dont think this post has helped your cause very much.
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Sunday 12th of December 2010 05:18:27 PM
I have to say that finally enough is enough. Users on this forum (particularly new users and seemingly county birders) should start to think very carefully about what they post. I'm frankly sick and tired of pointless, ill conceived posts on items people know little if anything about. This forum has generally run fantastically well since it's inception, with nothing of this alleged and frankly insulting 'elitism' etc nonsense. I have stayed away from 'serious moderation' for some time now as it just wasn't necessary but my finger is now well and truly poised.
For your information Tony (Mario) the Moss Side Black Redstart is in a residential garden where the owner herself has requested the news remain private. Three people (other than the owner) are aware of it's location, the county recorder, myself and a photographer the owner requested to document the bird. Neither myself or the county recorder have visited the site either. Many county birders are interested to hear that this bird is back which is why it has been posted on here but those same birders have no desire to see it anyway thanks to the well publicised (and seriously thought through too) Black Restarts in Ashton and Manchester City Centre. So, where is the elitism in all this Tony? Don't bother answering in this thread though, any further posts regarding this rediculous matter on here will be deleted as will any future nonsense. If users really think they have a point then I would appreciate, nay enforce, they contact me first before posting on such matters or otherwise direct such posts to somewhere like Birdforum where decent, important and interesting posts regularly get overwhelmed by such nonsense.
What is presumably the same bird but now an adult male, is back in the same garden in Moss Side ( since about 5th December). Actual location confidential.
After Martin Whitam's outburst of elitism on the Elton Res thread, I dont think this post has helped your cause very much.
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Sunday 12th of December 2010 05:18:27 PM
What is presumably the same bird but now an adult male, is back in the same garden in Moss Side ( since about 5th December). Actual location confidential.
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Judith Smith
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Lightshaw hall Flash is sacrosanct - NO paths please!
Whilst preparing the photos for publication, which involved cropping them, it seems the bird is in fact a first-winter male. There is some moult contrast in the greater coverts as atleast two newer grey adult like inner feathers have been repaced plus the tertials in particular look very brown. For those who might not fully understand this 'moult contrast', the article 'Back to Black' on the Species Study page on the Articles section on the website explains it all a little better, I hope!
Blimey - despite the odd sighting of a birds on thee city centre rooftops that may or may not have been BR I'd assumed "our" birds were wintering further away than that!
I suppose there is a chance that these could be different birds given this year's inflix, but so few seem to have appeared away from the coast who know's.
A (very fortunate) member of the public in the Moss Side area of Manchester has had a male Black Redstart visiting her garden to take mealworms since the New Year. The bird has been photographed and I will hopefully be publishing them on the galleries once permission is granted (they are cracking!). A neighbour to the observer also reports that he has seen two females with the male! Wintering records are very uncommon in the county and this may give us some idea as to where the Manchester City Centre birds go outside the breeding season
