Black Redstart, Earlestown

I didn't have high hopes of seeing the black redstart which has been in Brookfield Street in Earlestown, because so far as I knew it had only been seen by the house owner and even then only in his backyard. Still, it's not every day you get the opportunity to see a black redstart in Earlestown, so it seemed worth a look.

However by looking down the alley between Brookfield Street and Collingwood Road, we got a good view of the rooftops, without being too intrusive for the residents and after just a few minutes picked up the bird sitting on top of a chimney. It was a bit distant at first, but a decent view through the scope. Then we walked down Collingwood road and found a space between the houses where we could see the bird much closer and still on the same chimney. Only my second ever black redstart in St Helens. I didn't see black redstart anywhere in the UK last year, I've seen two already this year!