Country diary: the bird of the Blitz

Plymouth, Devon: Bombed buildings provided ideal nesting sites for the black redstart, which went on to colonise Britain In the heart of Plymouth, between the railway station and the football ground, the rectangular expanse of Ford Park Cemetery spreads like an open book, bisected by a low path with lines of graves traversing the gentle slopes on either side.Civilian casualties of the second world war air raids that devastated the city are among those honoured in the graveyard, and at this time of year their headstones provide a convenient perch for a bird of the Blitz: the black redstart, a scarce species that colonised Britain in the aftermath of Luftwaffe bombing. Continue reading...