Philip pointed out I had sent this reply only to him, rather than the chat line. So here goes.
Would I accept this as a breeding record, if it had been recorded on a blitz datasheet, Philip asks. Not immediately. Any record that rings at all strangely to me I query. To which many blitzers can attest, I’m sure. And many prove to be, rather than id errors, simply data entry errors. I merely add that I have never seen my coast Striateds (regular garden birds and breeders in the vicinity) behaving in the way described. Their courtship behaviour appears to be rather perfunctory, involving much chasing and facing off, followed by very rapid copulation. But they are early breeders, so the timing is right. b
