diff --git a/src/watchdog/observers/read_directory_changes.py b/src/watchdog/observers/read_directory_changes.py
index 2fc8a5bd7..45acef123 100644
--- a/src/watchdog/observers/read_directory_changes.py
+++ b/src/watchdog/observers/read_directory_changes.py
@@ -71,8 +71,11 @@ def on_thread_stop(self):
         if self._handle:
             close_directory_handle(self._handle)
 
+    def _read_events(self):
+        return read_events(self._handle, self.watch.is_recursive)
+
     def queue_events(self, timeout):
-        winapi_events = read_events(self._handle, self.watch.is_recursive)
+        winapi_events = self._read_events()
         with self._lock:
             last_renamed_src_path = ""
             for winapi_event in winapi_events: