Return ticket for Belted Kingfisher

 

Belted Kingfisher feeding

Close up (from long range)

 Location - the large bend in river above shows its previous location

Plenty of birders enjoying early Christmas present

 

Very slippy path to field

To give you idea of the bend

Another angle 

Wintry scene from first attempt

YouTube footage

The Belted Kingfisher was first discovered on 8th November near Brockholes Nature Reserve (Preston) by a birder enjoying some fishing (see link below). The actual location was Redscar Bend which sits on a 90 degree slope with no paths and limited viewing. The Squire and I tried and failed to see the bird (a Little Egret & 2 Common Sandpiper were no compensation) when first found. After a frustrating few hours we gave in and climbed cardiac hill and sat in M6 traffic for four hours of snowy traffic only to hear that the bird had been seen at dusk. Our language was unrepeatable........

From this point the temperature increased and the rain fell which seemed to make the Kingfisher look for a new location to fish. The local birders were doing an amazing job of tracking down the north american rare vagrant, firstly to a canal, very few sightings and then to Roach Bridge, Samlesbury which it remained loyal to giving birders another chance to see this very rare bird.

On the second attempt sadly the Squire was tied up with work duties so I headed up solo with the plan to meet the captain at site. He called me en route to say the bird was showing well but hurry up! I arrived at a convenient time as birders were leaving so I got a parking pitch in the village. 

 

I followed the very muddy path to the even muddier field (now £10 to enter) to where the Captain greeted me and pointing me in the right direction. Whilst partially obscured to start with the bird took flight along the rivers edge. The machine gun calling of the bird gave away its position and I even managed a few distant photographs. 

I had seen one in Central Park, New York but i was still surprised how stockier the bird was compared to our Kingsfishers and was much bigger in size.

As if the birds of 2021 could not get any better, a male Belted Kingfisher in Preston. There are just four records in the UK before 2019 as they usually migrate from central america to north america.

Finders in the field report can be read here.