Black Redstarts in Reading
During 2006 there were only a few records of Black Redstarts in Reading, including one of a juvenile in August and interestingly a pair, for a while at least, at Coley. However, we would like to continue to monitor the status of this bird in our area and early morning surveys provide the best chance of locating birds when they are singing.
This year on 24th March the clocks leapt forward making dawn around 7am, a time just bearable on a Sunday morning! Hopefully birds will be claiming territory at least by this time. The best song I have heard was for a few minutes not at first light but as soon as it could be called full light.
The plan is to do a communal search on two Sundays – April 22nd and May 6th, allowing people to search around any possible areas in the Reading area for a while, before meeting up at the top of Garrard Street car park at 7am (yes am!) to share what?s been found. Please join in if you can.
As always any records or info would always be welcome so that I can keep tabs on the general picture. (Please note that records should be supplied to John Lerpiniere and to www.berksbirds.co.uk or on a spreadsheet to the ROC in the normal way. Sensitive breeding records will not be published by berksbirds.co.uk or by the ROC)
John Lerpiniere (tel 0118 9426225, email johnle@ntlworld.com)
John Lerpiniere –