Another fabulous and accommodating rarity on Castle Hill after last month's Needletail (thanks again, Ben!), this beautiful male Eastern Black Redstart graced the urban but picturesque confines of St. Mary's Churchyard on our afternoon jolly to the coast yesterday.
It's the second I've seen in the area, after a bird on a Scalby housing estate at a similar time of year (reported as a male Common Redstart, I believe, before a much-recommended and predictable re-identification) some years back - a fun outing with the must-missed Martin G; there's been a third locally, too (Cayton Bay, maybe?), suggesting this bit of the coast is arguably the best spot for Eastern Black Reds in the UK...
After our session watching it feed high up in bare trees (conveniently at eye-level, from neighbouring steps), the heavens opened and we retreated to the Watermark cafe for celebratory jacket potatoes, Bottlenose Dolphins cruising past as we ate. Quality!
