I have been rather frustrated over the last few days as I have seen reports of sightings of a common redstart on my local patch but knew I didn’t have the opportunity to go and try to spot it.

This afternoon, with dwindling light (and a cold northerly wind) I found an hour to go searching. On turning up at the acknowledged spot I met other photographers who had seen it in the morning (with their proud photos). But nothing to see. I hung around in the cold without any success. Another birder claimed to see it across the pond, but all I found in my lens was a robin.

It started to rain so I set off home on two occasions but kept coming back. And then – voilà – my redstart appeared on the barbed wire. I fired a few shots and then it flew off only a few seconds after it arrived, never to be seen again.