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Post Info TOPIC: BLACK REDSTARTS IN MANCHESTER CITY CENTRE


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RE: BLACK REDSTARTS IN MANCHESTER CITY CENTRE


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.




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saburke


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After many unsuccessful city-centre visits in search of these birds over the last 5+ years, I finally managed to locate and view two birds (an adult male and a juvenile) near King Street.

Only my second GM life tick for the year and Im still some way off joining even the bottom of the leaderboard.

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



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Heard a male singing in Manchester City Centre today - just off King Street.

Thanks



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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

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Can I remind people that song playback SHOULD NOT be used at any sites of Black Redstarts.

It appears that playback may have been used at a site in the city centre within the past few days which caused atypical and potentially damaging behaviour for a territorial male bird. Anyone witnessing the use of playback should challenge it and/or report it to me.

 



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

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One singing at the junction of Princess Street and Bloom Street at 6:50am this morning, before flying off towards the canal.

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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

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A few images of our breeding black redstarts: two of the female, 2 of the male, 2 of the juveniles and 1 of a juvenile with the female. I confirm that there were indeed 4 juveniles. 



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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.

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saburke


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Male singing from rooftop on Chepstow Street 19:05 this evening, heard from the bus stop next to Macdonald's.

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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 & hearsmile.

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saburke


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I have already started looking.
Whilst it is true that Black Redstarts are migrants, it is also true that some over-winter in the UK including over-wintering close to Manchester city centre.



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meayrs wrote:

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.





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 :)

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

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Rob Smallwood wrote:

Totally agree Ian - I meant release the numbers?


 Hi Rob.

I might have replied earlier but have had computer issues and 2 operations on my foot and the doctors haven't finished with me yet! 

I can only inform in regard to what I know. There were 2 nest sites that I observed. Both sites had not less than 4 birds fledge. At the site where the birds fledged first, one of the fledglings was predated by a Lesser-black Backed Gull within a couple of hours of fledging. It is a miracle that more were not predated. The birds dispersed a week or so after fledging. At the second site, the birds stayed around for much longer, and as I understand it, birds have been seen recently in the city centre.  I will be going into town tomorrow to see if any are still around. It is possible birds have bred elsewhere in the city. If they have bred, I am not aware of their breeding. As for the second pair I was able to witness both adult birds lose their tails through moult and regain them. Their behaviour was amusing and quite endearing at that stage. 

I might add that each year I look in places where they have not been reported. This year I looked around the Cambridge Industrial Estate/Strangeways areas...the environs there is perfect for them, it seems Manchester/Salford birds prefer the buzz of a busy city. I will be looking this area over again on a more regular basis.

I will add a few images over the week-end.

AD  

       



-- Edited by Adrian Dancy on Wednesday 10th of October 2018 08:14:12 PM

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Totally agree Ian - I meant release the numbers?

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Rob


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Actual breeding locations shouldn’t be posted here Rob, in case they are used again next season. 

Of course their real value lies in being recorded with the official recording organisations (GMBRG and GMEU), not least so breeding locations can be protected from the many planning applications in the city centre.



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



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Rob


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Well done Andrea.

Black redstart singing & showing on bootle street this afternoon, another or posibly the same one seen on the library just before getting on the tram in St Peters square this evening.

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saburke


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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



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After weeks of trying I *finally* caught up with one of the black redstarts this lunchtime. About 12:40 it was singing from the Town Hall roof and hawking for insects around the windows of one of the walkways across Lloyd Street. Lovely to see. Turns out the secret is to go into town to buy birthday presents and leave the bins and camera at home. :)

They were a jolly sight easier to connect with back when they lived in the dodgy old factory on Port Street!



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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

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Singing male Black Redstart on the Convention Complex off Windmill Street this morning.

 

Info thanks to Martin Scott



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

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One was singing from the roof of Zizi's on King Street then flew across to the Town Hall at 14.30 today

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



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One singing loudly off the town hall at the LLoyd Street end at 08:30 this morning :)

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One singing above King St near Waterstones around 13:00

I wonder how many individuals there are in the City?



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Black Redstart heard singing at 07.20am in St Peter's Square on China town side. It eventually came into view about an hour later and flew onto the town extension roof and then disappeared from view.



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

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Tuesday 12th June 07:10

One singing this morning close to the Waterhouse pub and Town hall on Princess Street.

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



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Rob


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Heard but not seen singing from the Town Hall today around 4pm as I wandered through Albert Sq.

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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. 



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Male singing clearly from the roof of Pret a Manger at the junction of Oxford Street and Chepstow Street at 4:30pm this afternoon, singing from the round ball like object on the roof.

Phone shot attached, which if you can zoom in the Bird is 'just' visible!!!

 



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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.

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saburke


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One singing at 12:56 today on Blackfriars House on the corner of Parsonage and Blackfriars Street, high up on a lightning conductor/ aerial. Actually got to see it as well this time too.

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One singing above Waterhouse pub 10:45

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Three Black Redstart showing well at the top of the Town Hall, Albert Square facing side 08:50-09:10

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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.

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A lot of the roads were closed on Monday around the Town Hall, Albert Square, Peter St, Bootle St (where my delivery was) and part of Deansgate coz of a church march. I phoned the customer at 11.30am to notify them the roads were closed but within minutes they were opened up one by one and when they'd passed you could hear the Black Redstart.
I'm now wondering if the singing is echoing down those side streets that are literally yards from the Town Hall?


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



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Rob Creek wrote:

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.





Interesting. At approx. the same time I had it or another singing from top of town hall in much the same place as the described on Sunday. Singing from the chimney at top right in the attached photo then dropped to feed on the ledge below the smaller arched windows.

Cheers John.



--

-- Edited by John Rayner on Tuesday 29th of May 2018 06:50:58 PM


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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.

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Black redstart singing from Town Hall this morning from about 10.15; Lloyd Street side, at the very edge of the building, showing, but quite high up.

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Female feeding on the roof of the Vine Inn, Kennedy Street this afternoon around 3.20pm. Flew off eventually in the direction of the Town Hall.

Great views, as my office overlooks the rooftops of Kennedy Street.

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As I was about to leave the office earlier, I heard the Black Redstart singing. Went over to the window and looked up just as the bird was flying across from the Town Hall right towards me, at eye level. He must have landed a few feet above my head on the Extension roof.



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