Redstarts and Pied Flycatchers are two of my favourite summer visitors to our shores. When these birds arrive I know our summer is just round the corner. They travel all the way from North Africa to raise their family in a beautiful part of the Peak District, before heading back to Africa.
Redstarts are on the “Amber” list of species by the RSPB meaning there numbers are decreasing all over Europe, they are also protected by The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
With lock-down restrictions slightly eased now in England its made it alot easier for me to travel to this beautiful place.
As some may have read on a previous blog post I’d been cycling here to check on the Pied Flycatchers, and Redstarts. Checking on how they were getting on as part of my daily allowed exercise. You can read about this on a previous blog post here.
These birds are immediately identifiable by their bright orange-red tails, and were also known as ‘firetail’ which they often quiver and constantly flick. A few weeks ago I found a pair that had returned to an area I know well.
Not long after they started to build a nest inside one of the nest boxes that are put out for them in this ancient wood. They nested in this very nestbox a couple of years ago.
I’m working from a small hide with a net inside so my presence doesn’t disturb the birds. Something you must always do and be mindful of when photographing wildlife.
I’m looking forward to photographing this Redstart family more in the coming weeks. In the meantime I wanted to leave you with some of my favourite images so far from this project.
I will update my blog in the future to how this family of Redstarts get on, fingers crossed everything will be fine for them.