Photographing a Young Black Redstart
The Black Redstart is a familiar visitor around our home. They regularly nest in our summer garage, so I often have the opportunity to see them nearby. However, I photographed this particular young bird in my cousin’s garden in a neighbouring village.
Their garden is home to many different bird species. The trees provide plenty of places to rest and hide, while the small garden pond is particularly attractive to birds. Many of them regularly visit the pond to drink or take a bath.
On an early summer afternoon, I spent some time photographing a Black Redstart and one of its young. The juvenile had probably left the nest only recently and was still spending much of its time close to the ground.
At first, it rested on various objects around the garden, including pieces of metal near the fence and the edge of the pond liner. As time passed, however, it became a little more adventurous and occasionally flew higher, landing on the fence.
The young bird seemed surprisingly calm and showed very little fear of my presence. This gave me the opportunity to get remarkably close – usually somewhere between two and five metres away.
Once again, I used my 50-250mm lens for these photographs. Since the bird was often resting rather than moving quickly, I could work with a relatively low ISO and didn’t need an especially fast shutter speed.
The late afternoon sun was lower in the sky and provided beautiful, soft light for the photographs. The surrounding vegetation also created a pleasant green background with some lovely bokeh, helping the bird stand out naturally in the images.
I took all the photographs handheld, without using a tripod. This gave me much more freedom to move around the garden and carefully follow the young bird while trying to find the best angles without disturbing it.
Being able to photograph such a young bird from this close was a special experience. Sometimes you don’t need to travel far to find interesting wildlife photography opportunities – a quiet garden can provide plenty of them.
Photos taken with Nikon Z fc + Nikon Z DX 50–250mm f/4.5–6.3 VR. Click on a photo to view it in a larger size.
Did you know? – Black Redstart
The Black Redstart is a small, agile bird that is often found surprisingly close to people. Originally associated with rocky habitats, it has adapted very well to towns and villages, where buildings, rooftops, walls, and other structures provide suitable places for nesting and resting.
One of its most distinctive features is its rusty-orange tail, which contrasts with the otherwise darker or greyish plumage. Juveniles are less colourful than adult males and have a softer, grey-brown appearance.
Black Redstarts mainly feed on insects, spiders, and other small invertebrates. They often hunt from a favourite perch, dropping to the ground to catch prey before returning to an elevated resting place.
Young birds leave the nest before they are fully independent. For some time after fledging, they remain close to their parents, who continue to feed and watch over them while the juveniles gradually improve their flying and foraging skills.
Because Black Redstarts often live around houses and gardens, they can provide wonderful opportunities for birdwatching and photography — sometimes without having to travel any farther than your own backyard.