Woodgate Valley Country Park Kingfisher

I find it most rewarding being able to spot the Woodgate Valley Country Park Kingfisher. The reason is because, not every visit do I get to spot it. Another reason is it's my local brook. Another reason is I'm amazed there is enough fish. (I've now found another local Kingfisher at Leasowes but that one has a huge lake and springs to fish, so it's quite well off) My Woodgate Kingfisher must find it hard at times to fish but what do I know. It seems alright. Also many people view them from hides, which I have also done, nothing against that but for me you can't beat viewing one, just walking along a path by a brook or lake. The success rate of seeing one at Woodgate Valley is probably once a month and I visit most weekends. Sometimes I only see it fly off and that's it. Another reason I don't get to see it is I'm sure it goes elsewhere when the water is brown from a lot of rain. Well today, Saturday 16th February, I had the luck to see it numerous times as it fished and flew up and down. The water was clear so I thought I might be in luck. The main reason for it flying off was me stalking it which I do feel rather guilty about! It had a favorite perch to fish from and kept on returning only for me to return and spot it and them it fly off. My first viewing was about 4.00. I was actually on the phone and not sure I saw it. I thought I saw it out of the corner of my eye and was not sure and was even more unsure when I spotted a pigeon instead, where I thought it had flown too. What was funnier was I walked past the area where I normally see it and went back there a couple times but it was not there. So I walked further up the brook to a place I had never seen it before. As I got there, I could see a bird sat on the edge and I joked to myself 'it's a kingfisher' only to realise as I got closer and it flew off it was a kingfisher. I then walked a bit further and saw it flying up the brook, a familiar flight as it followed the bends. I quickly took chase and thought I had lost it. Then just a few metres away, there it was sat calmly on a branch. I tried not to let it see me and got my camera ready. Too late it flew off again. It flew back past me to a tree which had fallen down over the brook which had a lot of cover. And now I realise with a tree like that and the cover it provides, no wonder I can't always find it. Anyway it flew into the tree and I heard the splash of water - it had caught a fish - right by me - then I heard it knocking the fish against the tree. Then some other people approached on the other side of the brook and I saw it fly off with the fish. I lost it for a few minutes but it returned to this area a few times. Only for me to disturb it and for it to fly off. One time I'm sure it was trying to hide from me by contorting it's head upwards to look like a branch. A very strange look. But it flew up and down only for me to lose it and then to find it again. This went on for an hour. I even said to myself, I must leave it now and as I walked along to exit the brook, there it was! A reason I got to see it so many times is because it's winter and there is so little vegetation/cover. It may have moved to this part of the brook as it's got the most cover and this section had the right flow and perches. But it was a new area for me to see it at. Although I think a few years back this might have been a place I got a fleeting glimpse when I was on my run and it flew by. This is what started my fascination - that magnificent flight and colour. Today the colour was not so great as I guess it's got winter plumage (again what do I know!!) and also it was getting dark but then when it flew a couple times I got to see the vivid blue of it's back. Other times it was the distinctive flight as it follows the brook bends and swoops along. Finally once more I thought I must leave it and give it some peace only to walk further to the brook exit, in the spot where I had taken some previous photo's and seen it fishing and knock me down again - there it was. What a day - I could not stop finding it. I followed it once more and it stopped a couple more times before finally I lost it again and with the darkening light - it was gone 5.00, I went home.