River Darwen - Belted kingfisher

Since the Belted kingfisher had been pinned down to a specific location, and close scrutiny of its movement had been established, it was time to find a window of opportunity and head northwest.  A reluctant long-distance driver, the only realistic option was to de-camp as close as possible to the location in preparation for a pre-dawn arrival.  Unsurprisingly, Premier Inn came to the rescue again with a bargain room at just £65 that included breakfast and dinner within half an hour of the site.

With this plan firmly in place, the part that I couldn't control was whether the bird would return to its current favoured location along the River Darwen close to Roach Bridge. 

Finding the parking location was relatively straightforward but despite a pre-sunrise arrival - the car park was full with only a single sensible space available.

The weather was pleasantly mild with the rains of the previous day/night having passed through, the skies began to clear.  Fuelled with anticipation, the walk down to the bridleway along the road felt precarious calmed however by the picturesque views across the bridge.

The assault along the bridleway and across the field, parting with a field access fee of £10 on the way, was treacherous to say the least.  Mud spilt out from every footstep - wellingtons were definitely essential.

A decent crowd had already assembled and were watching the bird perched up on a line of broadleaved trees to the right of the river.  An agitated search for a suitable vantage point through the assembled crowd and tangle of twigs of trees that lined the foreground of around five minutes had me nervously hoping that the bird wasn't going to suddenly dash off.

Filling the scope, the bird was finally located, distantly, but looking incredible, sitting up nicely, preening occasionally, but focussed deliberately and menacingly on the river for its next catch - all this over a 30 minute period.  Calling occasionally, the kingfisher became much more active, and was seen plucking a fish out of the river devouring it on a lone willow further upriver.  At that point, it disappeared within some larger willows and by 9.30am, it was time to make the long journey back home.

This will go down as one of my top UK bird sightings.  An absolute belter!