I found a Common Redstart nest last week. A female was tending the nest, keeping it tidy. A male was standing guard nearby.
However, what was unusual was the fact there was an immature male, I assume from last year, also tending the nest. It wasn’t a one off, I first observed this immature male at 8:30am, and when I returned to the nest at 1:30pm it was still going in and out.
Has anyone come across this behaviour in Redstarts, and any idea what is going on?
Thanks
Gparkins said:Thanks Wendy. How are you able to post photos? I could just post them direct
Would be best if you posted pics on here ... open reply box, choose rich formatting to bring up media box, follow instructions making sure your pics are under 4mb, choose 600 in first box then leave second box blank for a decent sized image
2013 photos & vids here
eff37 on Flickr
Here’s the mature male.
Thanks again.
I think you misread the cut and paste, it’s saying some females appear more male until they moult, and the moult happens in late summer. So that supports the bird on the branch with a darker throat being a female, possibly an older one.
The nest was actually in a large crack in the tree, about 30cm wide that spiralled round the tree. Could it be there were 2 nests in there? Would Redstarts nest that closely together?