THE sandy soils we find around Wyre Forest district are responsible for much of our more unusual wildlife. They are nutrient poor and this has lead to the evolution of the district's lowland heaths and acid grasslands. The soil's sandy nature also means it is easily burrowed.

The rarest burrows have to belong to members of the insect kingdom like the tiger beetles, bee wolves and minotaur beetles. Burrowing mammals are also well represented with the district supporting a huge population of moles and rabbits and on a bigger scale badgers. The ease of burrowing has also helped our district to support what has to be one of the most colourful of our native birds. A burrowing bird would at first thought seem unlikely as birds lack a strong set of front legs that mammals and insects rely on to construct their tunnels.

However, kingfishers rely on acquiring a suitable abandoned burrow in a river bank which they take on as their nest site.

It would be a strange day indeed, if you were to go for a walk up one of the district's plentiful water courses without having spotted a kingfisher. Their distinctive blue green colouration really stands out as they speed their way along the waterways.

Living where we do, in good kingfisher territory, it would be a shame not to hone your kingfisher watching skills. The problem with kingfishers is whilst their colour makes them stand out a mile as they dart along the river away from you, they are quite tricky to spot when they are patiently sitting still, making it hard to get a really good look at these magnificent birds. I have found that the trick is to find the spot the birds like to perch to look for small fish and large invertebrates that live in shallow waters. Typically, these are over hanging or trailing branches that curve over shallow backwaters or at the margins of shallow pools.

My favourite spot for watching one individual is a saggy telephone wire that drapes its way over the top of a shallow old oxbow lake along the Severn between Bewdley and Stourport. More often than not a kingfisher can be found perched here, staring intently into the water looking for its next meal.

It is easy to marvel at the beauty of this bird's orange and blue to green iridescent plumage, and it is even more amazing when you realise the kingfishers' feathers are actually a drab brown colour.

It is just the way that tiny structures on the feathers refract and interfere with the light as it hits them that gives the bird its fantastic and metallic colouration. this also explains how the bright blue colouration on the bird's back can vary from this to a metallic green as it twists and turns away from you.

Armed with a pair of binoculars, if you do find a kingfisher on its perch then you may be extremely fortunate to be able to witness it hunt. With an unbelievable flurry of its wings, the bird propels itself from its perch and hits the water with a splash.

With any luck, it will have dived into the water and speared its prey with its proportionately long, dagger like beak. Once back on the perch, hopefully from your point of view, a good pair of binoculars should show you what it has caught, as the kingfisher will rest for a second on its perch holding its catch before battering it to ensure it is dead before eating it.