Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros
Scarce passage migrant, rare and irregular breeder, last in 2012 and very scarce winter visitor.RBBP.
The European form P. o. gibraltariensis (Western Black Redstart) was formerly a vagrant, and first county record was a male obtained at Gedney Drove End, October 25th, 1867 (Cordeaux 1872), with another seven records 1902-1915 on the north-east coast in October. There was a gap then until 1933 when was was seen at Limber in late March, then 1-2 birds annually, then increasing from the 1960s and becoming a regular summer visitor and breeder by the 1980s particularly at industrial sites along the Humber Bank but also occasionally at locations further in land. The Atlas estimated an annual population of 6 pairs during the 1980s. A decline followed in the 1990s and in the 28 years since then 2 pairs bred in 2003, and a single pair bred in 9 years. There were no records in the other 18 years and none since the last in 2012. During 2014 to 2018 the number of wintering birds ranged from zero to a maximum of four in 2016; spring migration (Mar-May) ranged from six in 2014 to 46 in 2018 and autumn migration (Aug-Nov) ranged from two in 2018 to 19 birds in 2015.
One record of a 1CY male of one of the eastern races P.o. phoenicuroides/rufiventris/xerophilus Oct 26th-28th 2016 at Donna Nook. There were seven accepted British records in 2016, doubling the all-time total, in what was a very ‘easterly’ autumn (See 'Black Redstart (eastern races)' web page account).