A First

Saw something on social media that there had been a Black Redstart on the prom at the back of the bus depot yesterday so I thought I'd take a wander along to see if it was still there. Walked by and there was no sign but on my way back saw a man with binoculars and camera and we both stopped for a while to see if we could see anything. After a bit the Redstart appeared, bobbing around amongst the pile of seaweed and rubbish dumped by the beach tractor. It was spooked by dog walkers and flew over to the bus depot, hiding amongst the rubble. It reminded me of a snippet about the bird that I remembered from childhood. Black Redstarts had thrived in post-blitz London, colonising the rubble of bombed buildings which created a perfect rocky habitat for them. The two of us spent the next hour or so watching for the bird and were rewarded with good views of it when it came out into the open. A got some decent shots as he had a 600mm lens compared to my 200mm. A couple of other birdwatchers turned up and a friend and her partner walking by asked what we were watching and I was able to point it out to them. As you can see in this rather distant view it is rather nondescript - this a female bird - but there is a flash of red on the tail. We watched it moving about, even doing a bit of 'flycatcher-like' flying up in the air and back, chasing insects. Anyway, a new bird for me. Not that I really bother with a 'life list' - I couldn't tell you how many are on it, only that there is one more as of today!