Good to be Back

Gorgeous sunny weather today with not a cloud in the sky meant good hot birding conditions and I made the most of it. I decided to go to St Michael's on Wyre to try and see a Kingfisher that has been seen on the river recently, a species which is now very scarce in the Fylde after two back to back very cold winters. I walked along the river to where the Brock joins with the Wyre and noticed several insects flying over the water with a very distinctive flight pattern, Banded Demoiselles! These are one of my favourite species having seen my first at Brockholes a few weeks back, and luckily there were several flying about today. There was a sort of path down to the bottom of the bank opposite the confluence so I carefully made my way down and found a good spot to watch the demoiselles right next to the water. They were flying very close giving wonderfuly views and I counted at least 4 males and 3 females, including 2 pairs in tandem and egg laying. After a while one of the females landed on a leaf not 3 feet from me so making my heart jump into my mouth as I saw just how dazzling green it was, and luckily I managed to move round without disturbing it into a good position to get the below shots. Although there was no sign of the Kingfisher a local dog walker said that he sees them regularly so I will be going back tomorrow morning. There was still plenty of birds around to keep my occupied including a pair of Kestrels giving good views as they kept going back to a tree where we could here hungry chicks crying for food. At least 2 singing Corn Buntings were along the hedgerows and there were family parties of Sedge Warbler and Whitethroat in the area, as was a Jay, my third in three days after taking six months to see one! From here we went to Myerscough Quarry where there were 3 Little Ringed Plovers (including 1 juvenile) and a family party of Shelducks. On the way home I saw a Raven over Inskip and another Jay (argh!) over Mythop.