Last Wednesday, the day after the excitement of the White-winged black tern, I caught the train to north Cardiff, intending to do my usual walk down to Roath Park Lake, maybe have a mooch around the trees at Cathays Cemetery and Heath Park before catching the train home, but all that changed when I got to the reservoirs.

First, as I walked a circuit of Lisvane Reservoir, I noticed our county bird recorder Phil and another man staring intently at the vegetation along the perimeter fence. Local birder Simon had spotted a Redstart and they were hoping it would reappear. Though it was obviously being put off by the almost constant parade of walkers along the footpath, our patience was eventually rewarded during a lull in pedestrians, and the little beauty sat obligingly on the perimeter fence for a few photos, before disappearing once again. This was my first Redstart of the year so I was well pleased.

Then, Phil spotted a Wheatear flying out to one of the artificial islands and back again to the bank of the reservoir so, after thanking Simon and finishing our chat, I went to try to re-find that and, hopefully, get a closer look. It was very active but I managed to catch up with it on one of the steeper sides of the reservoir.

Next, I tried for some photos of the single late Swift that was flying around over the water with the Sand and House martins, but failed. So, then, I spent a little time watching the still-present Grey phalarope, hoping it would swim or fly a little closer – it didn’t.

At that point, I decided it was time to leave the reservoir enclosure but, ever the optimist, I thought I would have a look along the outside path in case the Redstart was showing out there – it wasn’t. By that time though, it was gone noon so, rather than continue with my initial plan, I figured that, as I was here, I might as well have a walk around the meadows north of the reservoirs, something I used to do often when I lived in the Roath Park area when I first moved to Cardiff but hadn’t much lately. And I’m so very glad I did, as I had only reached the end of the first meadow when I spotted a (the same?) Redstart in the trees ahead.

I’d only seen Redstarts flying from bushes to the ground and back again before but this bird was flying out from the trees well above my head height, putting on a spectacular display of fly catching, its red-coloured underparts flashing vibrantly each time it flew. It was incredible to watch, particularly as it was often accompanied by one or more Chiff/Willows (what birders say when they’re not sure whether they’re seeing Chiffchaffs or Willow warblers) also feeding on the abundance of flying insects.

I watched the Redstart and its smaller companions for quite some time, spellbound, thinking what an amazing day this had turned into, but it wasn’t over yet. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed yet another bird fly catching from the tree tops to my left, a distant Spotted flycatcher to polish off what had been an unexpectedly super day’s birding.