The Kingfisher has been around for a few months now at Samlesbury Lancashire. we have planned to go to see it many times but something has cropped up or the bird has gone missing for a few days and it will take us 4 hours to get there so a bit of planning has to go into it.
On Thursday evening I got a text from Brian asking if we wanted to give it a go, I have a quick word with Jimmy and we arrange to meet at 2 am and go for it.
The drive was not bad despite having to detour off the M6.
It's just past 6am when we arrive, and we manage to park close to the bridleway that we have to take to get us up to the iron gate that gets us on the field to follow the well-worn track round to the spot where the bird has been seen from.
Within 5 minutes the Kingfisher's distinctive call is heard and a shadow flies across the river. then Brian spots the bird on a tree back from the river just behind the tree that hangs into the water.
The bird flies back into the river and comes back with a fish breakfast, it does this a few times and we get to hear the call again. What a beauty another lifer for all 3 of us.
Before we get back in the car we have a look over the Roach bridge and spot pairs off Dipper and Grey Wagtail that's one more year tick.
Off now to see if we can find the Snow Goose at Banks marsh. It's 18 miles away and we are not too sure if we are in the right place, we head down a track to find Old Hallow farm and park in a large yard.
A short walk up some steps gets us looking over the marshes. A white bird is seen a long way off amongst thousands of Pink-footed Geese, so Jimmy scopes it, and blimey it turns out to be the Goose. we didn't expect to find the Goose so a right bonus and it gives all 3 of us another lifer. It is a long way off but the scope views are good.
There is only one other birder here so we head down to join him and he puts us onto a Todd.s Canada Goose. the birder turns out to be the original finder of the Snow Goose.
He tells us that there are Twite and Tree Sparrow about. So we set about finding them, back to where we came onto the marsh we find Tree Sparrow without too much trouble in the farm garden. Finding the Twite was harder, so Brian walked along the bank and he calls us to view a nice Merlin perched on a post. Then a flock of birds lands in the field but is hard to see what they are, then the Merlin flies round and puts them all up and we see that they are a large flock of about 40 Twite for another year tick.
So a long drive but what a fantastic days birding with us getting the 2 birds we came to see to give us lifers plus 4-year ticks.
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| Belted Kingfisher |
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| The Snow Goose |
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| some of the Twite |
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