One of the babies.
18 July
I returned to the nest site today but I wasn't able to see any birds around the nest burrow. They are obviously very mobile and there is no specific reason for them to be around the burrow now. I did hear the male at one point, it was very close to me but unfortunately it coincided with the arrival of two kayakers who disturbed it and off it went, calling as it flew down river. The picture is from the day they left the nest, 48 hours ago now.
Another view of a baby.
16th July
I returned later in the morning to hopefully catch sight of the newly fledged babies. They left the burrow just after dawn this morning and for the next few days they are going to be reliant on their parents to feed them. In just a few days, once they have gained the necessary skills, in fact even before they have honed these skills with certainty, they will be driven out of the nest territory to fend for themselves. It seems quite extraordinary that adult Kingfishers expend so much of their energy, in fact half of their short lives is taken up rearing youngsters only to drive them from the territory very early in the youngsters lives. Mortality in newly fledged Kingfishers is high. Unfortunately there was no sign or sound of either the adults or babies which makes me realise how lucky I had been to see them this morning. The adults appear to be well away from the nest and I assume the babies are with them.
The babies fledge.
16th July
Meet one of the baby Kingfishers! I went to the nest site at 7 this morning in the hope that, at last the babies would have left the nest. I made my way to the hide and immediately I saw two Kingfishers...... there are babies at last! They flew just to the right and I could see one perched right out in the open, low on a willow branch. I was elated, its been quite a journey. I took a few photos and sat watching him, yes it was a male. He was gorgeous, completely fully feathered and he looked very strong. Suddenly another joined this one, and then just behind some branches, there was a third. So it looks like there is three, the first mystery solved and I am pleased because that is what I had predicted over the last few days. I sat quietly watching them, they were nervy and constantly changing their positions on the perch, one second facing me, the next, looking the other way. They bobbed up and down constantly. Suddenly, the male arrived to feed them, I could clearly see that he had a fish and there was excited calling from him and a kind of chirping from the babies. Unfortunately he didn't feed them on this perch but flew further up stream and the three babies followed him and disappeared out of sight. I had waited and waited for weeks to try and get a photo of this and I came very close! After an hour they still hadn't returned to the original perch and I rushed home to have a look at the pictures, planning to return later in the morning for another chance to see the male feeding them while they are still dependant on him. So there it is, after a long wait just like an expectant father, the babies have eventually arrived and three more babies are out there for us all to enjoy whenever anyone is lucky enough to grab a glimpse of them.
Still to fledge.
15th July
Yet another picture of one of the adult Kingfishers coming to the nest this morning. I am now more than amazed that they still haven't fledged the nest. I had expected them to have left 6 days ago and I am really surprised that my observations and then predictions earlier on were so off the mark. There is a possibility that they have fledged during the day today while I have been away but, it's a mystery and I fully expect fledging to take place tomorrow. Fingers crossed because my patience is now being stretched having visited the nest site every morning for the last 2 weeks...... I could do with a rest!!!
More of the same
14th July
It was more of the same at the nest this morning but it is worth recording a pattern that has started to emerge. At first when I arrived, it was 40 minutes before I even heard a Kingfisher let alone saw one. The usual fears started to go through my mind as I waited, had they been disturbed so much yesterday that they had deserted the youngsters or had they fledged the nest and departed the area? Both of those scenarios were dismissed when I heard a bird at last. As is usual, after hearing the bird and then noting the silence it was less than a minute before, there it was disappearing in to the burrow..... always a relief to see...... Then, during the next few minutes their were two further visits before it went quiet again and after another half an hour there had been no sign. So, heres my theory. The birds have settled in to a pattern of feeding each youngster, one at a time and then resting for the next 50 minutes or so before reapeating the pattern again. Could this indicate just 3 chicks in the nest, it certainly points to that. But what is now becoming obvious,incubation commenced later than I thought. Also, I have read that chcks can spend an extended period in the nest depending on the amount of prey that they recieve from the parents so it could be that the disturbance which takes place with alarming regularity is having an effect on the progress of the youngsters. More likely though, and having studied my diaries from earlier on, it seems that incubation probably started 5 days later than I guessed which would mean that the chicks are due to fledge either today or tomorrow. I hope so!
More in flight bathing.
13 July
This morning the Kingfishers were still coming to feed their youngsters and still they are yet to fledge. I am starting to be really surprised that it's taking so long. My calculations indicate that they were due last Tuesday but 5 days later they still haven't, perhaps tomorrow now? It was again beautiful to watch the adults this morning, but again a bit worrying, the disturbance is just constant. When people started to arrive they were obviously disturbed and I watched the male fly to the nest with a fish and then turn away because fishermen were literally standing above the nest. Eventually, once the fishermen had moved on I am sure that they would come again to feed their young. You just have to hope that the youngsters can survive these extended periods when they are not fed. They seem to get around this and its obviously worked for them up till now. I watched the male bring a reasonably large fish to the burrow and as usual when they have large prey it stopped in front of the nest before taking it in to the burrow. I have a theory as to why they do this. An adult Kingfisher weighs on average around an ounce and half, thats about 40 grams. If they dive and successfully catch a large prey item that could easily weigh half the weight of the bird. My theory is that that an adult bird must find it strenuous to carry, fly with and then manoeuvre something that is so comparatively heavy and it must be difficult to fly in to the nest with accuracy when carrying a fish half it's weight. I am sure that this is the reason but it doesn't answer the question as to how a young Kingfisher is able to swallow an item of prey that could be more than half it's weight.
Bathing in-flight.
11 July
There was lots to see at the nest site this morning. At first when I arrived just after 6.30 there wasn't a lot to going on until 6.45 when the first bird arrived with prey for the youngsters. They haven't fledged yet but I think it is very near. I am basing this on the state of the nest burrow which is now quite messy around the entrance with the remains of guano starting to be noticeable. Imagine healthy youngsters in the nest all excreting copious amounts of very wet droppings as well as the remains of the odd piece of rotting fish and, who knows there may even be the decomposing remains of a dead fledgling? After exiting the nest, the parents almost invariably dunk in to the river a couple of times without breaking flight. This is to wash their plumage which would obviously, very quickly get clogged and matted. Kingfishers are normally very fastidious about their plumage anyway and even out of the breeding season, spend a lot of their time preening. Once the bird has reached the safety of the trees opposite the nest, they dunk in and out of the water a few times again to make sure their plumage is clean. Then from there they seem to fly up stream to a favourite fishing spot. I decided to try and catch this "dunking" splash today and am thrilled with the results.
I have been trying to "guesstimate" the number of youngsters in the nest and I am plumping for 4. Here's how I arrived at this guess. I have read that baby Kingfishers need to eat 12 to 15 fish each day. So taking 16 hours of daylight, that is 960 minutes of daylight each day. If there was just one youngster in the nest and we knew that it required 15 fish each day that would equate to a fish (on average) being brought every 64 minutes throughout the day. This morning though, again taking an average, a fish was delivered every 16 minutes. So if I work this in reverse, I divided this 16 minutes in to 960, meaning that 57 fish would be delivered in a day. To have a guess at how many youngsters there are I have just divided this 57 fish by the number of fish required for one baby, and we already know that this s 15....... and the answer is 3.84. You can't have 8.84 birds........ so rounded up lets call that 4, and thats how I have arrived at my guess of 4.
An even more amazing statistic is this. Based on these figures, in the 25 days that the chicks are in the nest , 1425 fish are delivered by the parents. Imagine that! Plus also, the 600 fish that the parents need to feed themselves, 300 each. That's a total of 2025 fish required for one clutch of young Kingfishers. This says a massive amount about the kind of habitat Kingfishers require.
A dawn visit.
10 July
I visited the nest site at 6.15 this morning and it was beautiful. The sun was already climbing in to a cloudless sky and it was bright, very peaceful and calm. Apart from just a couple of dog swimmers at first, then it was as quiet as it could be. I went early because there was a high spring tide at around 8 40 which would have made it impossible to sit in the hide during the morning, I needed to be there nice and early. I have also decided to keep away from the nest site during the most popular times of day to try and avoid any conflict which is just not helping. The Kingfishers have obviously got a strategy to cope and even if there is some disturbance that will compromise the nest it is virtually impossible to stop it.
I would have expected the Kingfishers to bring food constantly but it didn't work out that way. It was almost half an hour before any visit to the nest by the birds and then, really surprisingly, it was almost an hour before another. After that though, several fish were brought even though the spring tide was rushing in and the water level by now was very high. I have commented previously that it is interesting to see how the birds fly straight in to the burrow, obviously knowing exactly where it is but then today, I was fascinated to see something quite different. The water level was high as I have said and the male came to the burrow with a fish but instead of flying in he was confused and tried to fly in to the wrong hole. He suddenly realised his mistake but couldn't find his nest, he left and flew over to my side of the river returning with the fish to the correct burrow a short while later. It seems that visual references are used to fly accurately to the burrow but on the few occasions that the water level is high the "scene" must have looked totally different which is obviously confusing. Eventually the water level had risen high enough to inundate the hide so before 9 I was back home for breakfast. During the session the light was just about as good as it could be and I took a few nice photos.
Yet to fledge the nest.
Kingfisher flying to the nest July 9th 2013
This is the day that I had predicted fledging but as far as I know, they haven't. The disturbance is minimal today and most people have not lingered long apart from one pair who were interested in the lamprey that do seem very plentiful today and who could resist watching the spectacle of these large writhing beasts in very shallow water. The problem was that they had 3 dogs between them and these dogs were and are, because I have seen them before, vey active. I suspect that the nest burrow is very smelly as both yesterday and today these dogs tried to sniff at the nest entrance. They were right on top of the nest for an age and II finished up in a right row with these two older men, one even threatening me. I pleaded with them to leave but they just kept turning the argument in to how rude I was and how much they hated people like me. I think what they really hated was being asked to do something that they didn't want to do, I am like that so I can fully understand. I just said I was sorry to appear rude and could they just leave to which they said that if they wanted to stand there for as long as they liked then they would. It was no use telling them of the law because when I did that was just winding them up and making it worse. We even had the usually stock answer of I have been coming here for 30 years. An obvious reference to my non West Country accent! Eventually by walking as they berated me I was able to get them away without them realising. A Kingfisher even delivered a fish at this point! Amazing really. But as far as arguing with two Bolshy Last of The Summer Wine characters, well I could do without it. According to the more aggressive one of the pair, I am a menace for trying to stop them disturbing the nest, which of course, at the end of the day, is a criminal offence. Am I wrong to care about these Kingfishers, I don't think so but I am probably better off just watching and hoping rather than actually getting involved with people you can never win and even if the police were called, it would be 20 minutes before they turned up and by then the damage has been done or they have moved on any way.
I am at the hide again now and as I write it is very quiet, fortunately. It's also very very warm, as warm here today as South Florida, some of the warmest UK conditions that I can remember. I have seen the Kingfishers bringing to the nest so that is good but their visits are far less frequent than you would imagine. I would suspect that disturbance has caused some damage but this is a public area and people do have the right to be here. They obviously don't have the right to disturb the nest but then if they don't know its there then so be it. I will think twice about getting a license for this nest next year because frankly it is intensely stressful. I am constantly hoping that people will leave quickly and not splash about too much. But when I am not here people still come and go so I have to accept it as a fact of life.
I know I have alienated some people by asking them to leave the nest area even though the very few people I have asked to move seemed to be very accommodating and nice. To be honest, I am quite deflated.
I do think that youngsters are still alive in the nest though, in fact I am certain and I do think that one or two will fledge, so all in all, considering where they are breeding, that is a good result. As if to cheer me up, a Kingfisher has just delivered a fish after first perching in front of me and then flying to the nest and with other people now arriving to bathe their dogs I move away.
Right at the end of my session a very nice young couple had put a blanket down and were picnicking just above the nest. I really didn't want to get involved but then I thought that I must. I walked all the way around again and as kindly as I could, I told them of the nest and the potential for disaster. As if to help me, I heard a bird and as we all watched sat there on the grass, in it came and disappeared from view in the nest beneath us. Then when it emerged it flew off dunking itself in the water to bathe several times in mid flight. They were thrilled to see this. They packed up quietly and left to sit somewhere else well away. There, that was better.
Fish brought to the nest
July 8th
I have been keeping a diary right back from when I first started to watch the breeding Kingfishers. It was hard for me to say with absolute accuracy when incubation began, therefore it was impossible to say exactly when they hatched and now of course, it's impossible to say when they are going to leave the nest. Making some assumptions as I have watched, I put on the calendar that they would fledge the nest tomorrow, but that is far from certain. Chicks apparently can stay longer in the nest depending on the amount of food they receive, it could be another week even? There certainly is a never ending supply of fish but it perhaps hasn't been delivered with normal regularity because of interference and disturbance mostly by dog walkers who will insist on encouraging their charges in to the water which causes such a massive amount of disturbance and stress to the adults. Take this morning as yet another example. An old dog was in midstream in front of the nest, between me and the nest in fact. It was trying to catch the mullet in the way that Alaskan Bears catch running salmon. The owner was just sitting nearby dangling her feet in to the water. After 10 minutes of this I asked her to leave and told her why but she just couldn't get the old, decrepit and probably deaf dog to obey her and just couldn't climb out of the water. Consequently, 20 minutes later it was still there, and all this right in front of the nest. But you know what? A fish was delivered to the youngsters during this time and when the dog was just up stream and not right in front.
Eventually the dog was retrieved and quietness took over. But it was well over an hour between adults visiting the nest. Then I saw something that made my heart sink. One of the adults eventually came to the nest with prey and went inside. All was well and good I thought but then I saw that when it came back out of the burrow it was still carrying the fish. Did this mean that the chicks had been left too long between feeds and they were too week to beg? I was then desperate to watch for more deliveries to check if fish were delivered. It was another 20 tense minutes before another adult came with a fish and then this time the fish was delivered and I was very relieved. I watched another few visits all about 10 to 20 minutes apart and was pleased to see that the prey was left each time. When I left it was about the quietest it had been for quite a while in spite of the very warm and sunny weather.
07-JUL-2013
An amazing amount of disturbance!
I came away from the nest site at 9.15 this morning feeling immensely frustrated and stressed. The disturbance was just so intense, I just didn't know what to do for the best. I got there at 7.30, the spring tide was just receding but the water is high during the spring tide period and it is due to peak and be even higher tomorrow. I am quite confident that it won't rise high enough to inundate the nest but I was hoping that the nestlings would have fledged by now but they haven't. What did intrigue me was the lack of visits to the nest this morning and in fact during the first hour only one fish was delivered. I did start to get worried but I have done that before, worry that is, and then realised that everything was fine. Having given the situation a great deal of thought there are two factors that could have influenced the lack of visits to the nest during this time. Firstly the high tide was at 6.30 and the level was still high, even at 7.45. This meant that fish were probably difficult to catch in the deeper and more muddy water. In addition, by 7.30, 2 hours 20 minutes after dawn the parents had obviously fed the youngsters as they would do at first light. This is a long process and if there are up to 5 or 6 nestlings ( as is normal), if every youngster was fed just 2 fish this is 10 or 12 visits to the nest which could take potentially 2 hours to achieve. Then the parents of course would need to feed themselves. They were obviously resting up somewhere.
By the time I came away, the birds had started to visit the nest burrow regularly again but the intensity of disturbance now was dramatic. The picture above shows the male who perched on the willow branch by the nest with, as you can see, a large minnow. There were several dogs with their owners very near. The dogs were in the water and the owners were throwing stones to encourage them in to the water. Other dogs and owners were arriving, yet the Kingfisher remained on the perch with his fish. Then one of the dogs actually tried to catch the bird running towards it playfully but with that, of course the bird flew off rapidly. As if that wasn't enough, two more dogs were now in the mid-stream running and splashing through the stream with their owners encouraging them. I seethed with frustration and with fear for the birds. Enough was enough, I emerged from the hide and called over to the owners and their now 10 dogs!!!!! I told them of the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act and that they were disturbing a bird which is afforded special protection and I asked them to get their dogs out of the water and move away which they all, except one did immediately without question. The one other dog and owner eventually left but even before they did the Kingfisher came in to the burrow to feed. I felt better to see that but just how much they can tolerate is a question to ponder. I came away because I knew I was going to get involved in a situation that was beyond control. I obviously cant keep shouting at people to tell them to go away, that wold cause disturbance in itself and the more people that know about the nest, the worse it would be for the nest security. I decided to hope and pray that the birds "hang-in there" and continue to feed their young when they get the chance and also to pray that they fledge the nest very very soon. At the end of the day you can't blame people for wanting to enjoy the pleasures of an English summer.
If anyone is following this blog then you may be pleased to hear that at dusk I watched the parents bring at least 6 fish.
Adult delivers a fish.
July 6th and youngsters yet to fledge.
It was much of the same this morning. Both birds coming to the nest burrow as normal bringing fish of various sizes. When I arrived at 6.40 it was very calm and peaceful with the just the sound of birdsong and Kingfisher calls in the air. There was a fisherman who had obviously been there all night but he was at least 200 metres from the nest and he wasn't causing any distress for the birds so I didn't get involved. Fortunately the river is quite shallow just in front of the nest so it is not a favourite fishing spot. As normal when the birds had caught large fish they paused in front of the nest before flying in and today I did see some different behaviour. The male perched on the branch with his large fish but instead of taking it in to the nest he flew off with it. It seemed like he was disturbed but there was absolutely nothing to be seen, perhaps a bird of prey flew over and I didn't see it but something definitely upset him. There is an optimum time when the light is the best its going to be, that is between 7.30 and 8.30 when the sun shines on the the face of the bank and I made the best of it, trying to get some good in flight shots. It is just so unfortunate that the river is so wide at this point and for really good photographs I would need to be about 30 feet closer, but never the less it's still been a wonderful experience and opportunity to watch these breeding Kingfishers and record the action.
Later on in the day I went back to see if things were still OK, its hot now and the "worse case scenario" would be someone playing in the water in front of the nest or picnicking above it. Dog walkers and dog paddlers can be tolerated because they dont stay to long and the Kingfishers have learned to feed in between people so to speak. However, long term stayers are a different thing. I was horrified to see 6 almost adult youths fishing very close. I told them what the score was and they immediately packed up and went to fish somewhere else which says a lot about the young lads living around here. As if to reassure me that everything was OK, even as I spoke to the lads, one of the birds flew down river opposite then crossed over and flew straight in to the nest with a fish. Amazing really because we were very close and I would never have imagined that they would still carry in with people so nearby.
Female flies to the nest
5th July
It's now a tense few days at the nest site with the nestlings surely ready to fledge very soon. We are in the middle of a warm spell of summer weather with hot, bright and very sunny conditions. I spent 3 hours at the nest this morning and in that time both birds were delivering fish to the burrow regularly. A few times the female perched on the mud beneath the nest and then lingered with a large fish before she entered the nest and fed the youngsters. This is all pretty much the same as I have observed for the last week with not a great deal to add. The excitement of the chicks fledging the nest is about to happen and this should hopefully give me some great photo opportunities. I am hoping for interaction between the adults and young. We have had some disturbance from fishermen this last few days and I have contacted the Wildlife Crimes Officer at the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary. He offered me some guidance as to how I should deal with these potential nest threatening disturbances and both yesterday and today I asked people to move away which I am glad to say, they did willingly. Hopefully, over the hot weekend we won't have further problems.
The only other things of note today was the female who as she perched beneath the nest with a fish was suddenly disturbed by a dog walker just above her on the bank. She flew over to my side of the river still with her fish and then when the coast was clear, flew back and went in to the nest. On another occasion she entered the nest when people were splashing about no more than 30 metres away proving that even though Kingfishers are said to be easily disturbed, their instinct to feed their young is even stronger. It could be that this busy area is a good place to breed because predators such as mink and weasels may be reluctant to frequent this area. The only threat to their safety now I believe is a sudden flood. A spring tide is due on Sunday and Monday fingers crossed it won't flood the nest, it hasn't so far so things should be OK.
Waits beneath the nest.
July 4th
I decided not to itemise minute by minute on my visit today. It's still a little overcast so dog walker wise, it's relatively peaceful. Dogs seemingly don't get so many walkies when the weather is iffy. I have constructed another screen hide with a clearer view of the comings and goings, quickly erected and then finished off with willow from inside using the Himalayan Balsam for cover at first. At first it was quiet Kingfisher wise but very soon I had a great view of one visiting the nest. It perched on a willow branch conveniently washed down river and to the right of the nest. I wasn't properly set up to photograph so I probably missed the chance to take a good photo but not worry because within minutes another was there with a fish and I took probably my best picture of an adult with a fish, it looks like a roach. It's been quite active with a bird calling from somewhere nearby. Fledging does not appear to have taken place yet, but who knows, that calling could be a young bird?
Quite interestingly, whereas yesterday the birds always seemed to arrive at the nest from down stream, today appears to be the opposite which suggests that they are returning repeatedly to a spot where they know there is a shoal of small fish. Why go looking elsewhere when you know a good source of food.
On my side of the river.
July 3rd
As I arrived at the nest site this morning at 1002 I could hear Kingfisher calling but there was a subtle change today. At 1007 one flew up river on my side, that was different than normal. I was hoping that the youngsters had fledged and I was keen to find out. As the session went on I came to the conclusion that they hadn't. At 1010 another bird was calling, probably the other one of the pair and it was flying on my side of the river just like the first one. Obviously as the chicks grow and get near to adult size the adults need to catch more and more fish to keep up with them. But today, strangely, after 30 minutes I hadn't seen a bird at the burrow. This was very unusual compared to my observations on the previous 2 days and hard to explain. At 1025 I heard a bird approaching but it didn't enter the nest and I didn't see it either. Then I heard some much more excited calling, this usually happens when the birds meet each other but still I didn't t see a bird at the nest. Then one of those dog walkers who wants to encourage their dog in to the river, turned up. Yesterday evening I actually watched Kingfishers entering the nest with fish while all that was going on nearby so I was not too worried. Contrary to all you read, these Kingfishers are not that easily disturbed. As if to contradict me though, a Kingfisher called an alarm and then flew away. I had still not seen a bird at the burrow, maybe they had fledged but I would expect to see young Kingfishers if that was the case? Kingfisher watching can be traumatic and I hoped everything was OK but I was starting to get pessimistic again.
After an hour at 1100, even though I had heard Kingfishers repeatedly both flying by and up and down river I had yet to see one enter the nest burrow, that was most unexpected. This is a change in behaviour, could it be that the adults are trying to encourage the youngsters to leave the nest by not feeding them? At 1110, at last a bird delivered food and then within a minute or so another. They had obviously been well fed before I arrived. It was another 30 minutes before another delivery but then there is a constant visit, every 15 minutes or so.
My conclusions from this visit: The chicks are continuing to be fed. The parents were unusually quiet with less calling than on my previous visits. The birds seemed to arrive at the nest burrow quietly and fly straight in. That is quite a feat of flying skill. They always arrive from the same direction and then depart back to where they had come from. I suspect that, as they were flying in and leaving in silence, I had missed some of the food deliveries earlier on. Just by taking your eyes away from the burrow for even a second could mean that you miss them.
With a perch prey.
2nd July
I returned to the Kingfisher nest site this morning at around 1030 and I am glad to report that everything is progressing properly. I made an effort to record everything that I saw, trying to learn as much about their breeding as possible.
1031. The male arrived with fish to feed the youngsters but he was disturbed by walkers nearby, he flew to my side of the river and in to the willow...... then he ate the fish himself. he then flew back to the nest side and perched on the bank above the nest and waited for the walkers to leave. He allowed them to get within 6 feet of him before flying away calling loudly, the walkers were oblivious. Kingfishers seem used to endless disturbance so no worries for me nor obviously the Kingfisher. It will be interesting to see how they deal with constant disturbance today.
1042 A KF heard but not seen.
1048. With much double syllable calling ..... Short long short long short long ....a bird arrived with a small perch, a big fish for a baby Kingfisher, come to think of it large for even an adult, this was a first for me. Even though there was a dog in the nearby cow drink he perched on the mud beneath the nest and flew up to feed the young. There was much calling as he flew away, still aware and protesting at the presence of people nearby.
1051 calls heard
1053 Calls heard
1134 Distant call heard.
1135 Now the calls are nearer.
1138 A single sylable call call down river. ......"short... Pause....short"
1139 KF leaves the nest, probably the calling bird but I hadn't seen it enter the nest.
1140 More calling then I see abird flys up river.
1142 Now some quiet calling.
1145 Bird flies in to nest and food is delivered.
It's raining and therefore its quiet with no walkers so birds are coming and going unhindered hence their relative quietness.
1148 interestingly, a dog leaps in to the water followed by a Kingfisher flying around calling, obviously disturbed and then by.....
1152 that dog had gone. I wondered how long it would be before a bird returned.
1205 The female arrived with prey, a roach, she perched on the mud beneath the nest and then flew up. Judging by the size of the prey the chicks must be due to fledge very soon. Interestingly the bird seemed very well camouflaged against the reddish earth.
1212 Excited calls are heard.
1217 I hear a call but no bird seen.
My conclusions from today: Adults were away from the nest constantly, hunting. The young are not being brooded by either parent. The fish are large, as big as an adult would eat and both of these facts would indicate that fully grown youngsters are in the nest and ready to fledge any day now.
The birds don't always call when they arrive at the nest. The male usually flies straight in to the burrow but the female appears more cautious and often lands in front of the nest before entering with her food. Sometimes there is much agitated and excited calling however. Male will fly to my side of river if disturbed but I have yet to observe the female do this.
Proof of hatched chicks.
Chicks being fed
It was 5.40am when I sat in the hide in front of the nest this morning. Almost immediately I saw a Kingfisher disappear inside the burrow, that was very pleasing! As I had walked towards the area I wasn't confident because I just couldn't imagine that the nest burrow and it's contents cold have survived what appeared to be the river level flooding above the nest burrow. Surely it would be a miracle if they had survived that. Amazingly that miracle had happened. Roughly every 10 to 15 minutes I watched a Kingfisher disappear inside, and then emerge from the burrow. Then the 100% confirmation that I hoped to see happened. The female landed just in front of the nest with a large minnow, after a short while I watched it disappear inside and then jut seconds later it emerged without the fish. What a result and absolutely amazing. All in all, in my 3 hours at the nest the Kingfishers delivered about 15 fish and by 7 o'clock the visits had become less frequent. Usually the birds would arrive quietly but on occasions they would call loudly before I then saw them enter.
Action at the burrow.
30 June. Adults flying in to the nest with fish
The last time I was at the Kingfisher nest site was exactly 2 weeks ago. At that time I had doubted that the nest was still viable but I had some hope when I did see the male perched opposite the nest. But I hadn't seen any bird going in or out of the burrow for several visits. I had been keeping an accurate diary and knew that if there were eggs and indeed the parents were sitting, then they were due to hatch sometime last week. I had a planned trip to Minorca on the calendar so I came to the conclusion that the best thing to do was to check things on my return. If there were chicks in the nest then the parents would be in and out to feed them. So this evening, there I was, sat in the hide..... without a camera...... just to check if there was any activity and frankly without much hope. I had sat for at least 45 minutes when I suddenly I heard a Kingfisher, then I heard it again and then again and the next thing was the sight of a Kingfisher disappearing in to the nest burrow and within seconds out it came again. I just couldn't stop smiling to myself, almost with disbelief! I was pretty certain that the nest had failed but how wrong I was!!!!!!
Then, my heart sank because I could see a clear water line well above the hole, how could that be, even if they had hatched eggs successfully how could they have survived a flood? But my hopes soared again when I later saw two birds and one with a fish, I couldn't be certain that it delivered the fish successfully but that is certainly what it seemed because I then saw a bird emerge from the nest without the fish! Watch this space as they say, it seems as though they are much more resilient than I thought.
I see no activity.
15th June Has this nest failed?
***Check this image with that taken on 4th June. It shows the bird on exactly the same spot in the same tree. ***
I know it seems as though the quality of my photos has declined? This is because I am photographing at my licensed Kingfisher nest site and it isn't possible to get in a position that would ensure that the light is more suitable. Yesterday at the nest, frustration and disappointment are the two words that spring to mind. I sat and waited for 2 hours hoping to see some activity around the burrow, but I didn't see any birds either entering the nest or leaving. However, I heard a Kingfisher calling at least once every ten minutes culminating with the male perching right there as you can see, in the willow tree in front of me. This is a favourite spot in this tree and I have seen the bird in exactly the same place several times and on separate days during the last three weeks. It is not a good place whatsoever for a good photo, hence the disappointing image which does not show the the bird at it's best. I am now almost sure (but not certain) that the nest has failed. The eggs were due to hatch from yesterday onwards, but it's not possible to say when incubation actually started so I am only making an estimation. I haven't come to a conclusion yet but I do believe that the birds are now nesting somewhere else, but until I either find this nest burrow or see some activity at the original nest burrow, I am undecided. The breeding success of a Kingfisher is always uncertain and precarious and as this is the second round and the first round did produce fully independent youngsters then it is not too much of a disappointment. The birds will for certain go on to try again.
Has the nest flooded.
12 June.
When I had visited the Kingfisher nest site yesterday I had been dismayed to see that the high water line was almost up to the nest even though there was still several minutes to go before high tide. I had to leave because it was almost dark and went home keeping my fingers crossed in the hope that the burrow would not be inundated. Spring tides are always higher than neaps and we are on springs at the moment . I took some confidence, and still do, to note that during the May spring tides the predicted levels were even higher and yet I know that the Kingfishers had managed to raise at least 3 youngsters to fledging. So it appears that they may have been able to endure in spite of what must have been avery close thing. If you look at the picture you can see that last night the water level reached the very edge of the nest and I am banking on the structure of the nest burrow to have preserved the safety of the clutch. Because the nest burrow slopes upwards I am assuming that the actual nest cavity which is hollowed out at the end of the tunnel is going to be several inches higher than that water line. Fingers crossed. If that doesn't prove to be the case then we have to accept that nature is very unpredictable. The Kingfishers have chosen a very precarious site, right on the edge of the rivers highest level. This afternoon, even though I didn't see any activity at the nest that is not to say that incubation was taking place as usual. I did hear and see a bird fly by as normal so I can only assume that, in spite of the danger, things are still progressing. I am returning to the nest site this evening when I hope to see some activity at the nest to confirm the situation.
Update* *Update* *Update* *Update* *Update* *Update* *Update* *Update* *Update*
I returned to the Kingfisher site this evening to continue my observations. I have to confess that I am now seriously concerned that the nest has failed. I sat again for 1 1/2 hours waiting to see some activity at the nest. I didn't..........! It could be that I am just being unlucky, I don't think it's unusual for a Kingfisher to spend 2 hours on the nest before changing over. I have no experience of watching Kingfishers at the nest so I have nothing to compare. I do know that while one is incubating it is normal for the other bird to be well away from the nest. The only sniff of an indication that everything is still OK was when, both earlier today and this evening, a Kingfisher flew past the nest burrow calling as it went. I think that this may indicate the presence of a bird in the nest and the flying bird was on both occasions, calling to its mate..... but who knows?
Update* *Update* *Update* *Update* *Update* *Update* *Update* *Update* *Update*
Will the nest flood?
11th June and the river is very high!
We are in the middle of a crisis at the Kingfisher nest site. The river is tidal, this wouldn't normally present a problem, however the height of each tide is dictated by the phases of the moon and there are two types of tide. The highest ones are spring tides, and the lowest are neaps and the height difference can be dramatic. Yesterday was a very high spring tide and when I visited the nest to check I could see that the morning tide had been up to within a foot of the nest hole! The worry is that the evening tide was going to be higher and when I left at 9 0'clock it hadn't quite reached the high line of the morning but there was still 30 minutes to go before it reached its full flood. Would it inundate the nest? It was getting dark when I left so when I return this morning I am hoping for a successful outcome. I didn't hear or see a Kingfisher last evening but that's not unusual as one was probably in the nest and I wasn't there for even an hour. It can be a lot longer before you hear or see one when they are incubating, so even though I am slightly concerned we will have to wait and see if everything is OK. All in all I am slightly pessimistic.
Lots of disturbance.
June 7
I arrived at the nest site this morning after not visiting since last Tuesday evening. I had found it really stressful then and thought that there is not a great deal I can do to help if disturbance is taking place, I can't do anything about it so I would rather not know. When I got there this morning, just as before on my last visit it was as though there was no nest nearby, Kingfisher wise, it was quiet and there was no sight or sound of a bird and if you didn't know of the nest burrow just opposite, you would be no wiser. My ears are tuned in to the sound of a Kingfisher calling and I noted down every time I heard one. My notebook tells me that it was about 15 minutes before I heard one, just twice in a minute or so and then within 30 minutes one flew in front of the hide from up river. When the first hour was up I had briefly seen one bird and I suspected that the other one was sitting tight on eggs in the burrow. At least I hoped so. The usual dog walkers and stone throwing owners had come and gone but most hadn't lingered too long and as there was no sign of a Kingfisher then they were causing no disturbance whatsoever. After I had been there 75 minutes, suddenly a bird arrived and called loudly but unfortunately that coincided with the arrival of yet another dog and owner so the bird who I suspect had arrived to take over, moved on up river. There was now a period of well over 35 minutes when there was absolute peace and quiet with no people or dogs and this would have been a great time for a change over at the nest. It didn't happen then though and I did begin to wonder if everything was OK? I now know that to be the case and it just proves that the none incubating bird keeps away from the vicinity when the other one is sitting. It was during this quiet time when a Carrion Crow actually perched on my hide (with me sitting in it), proving that it is an accepted part of the landscape now. I love it when this happens. After 15 minutes short of 2 hours the first really interesting activity took place and I will quote from my notebook. "KF calls loudly and again flies by me.... and now again. Now I film it next to the nest (see above) but it gets disturbed by someone who, totally oblivious walks right past on the bank above the bird just 2 feet away. (I wonder how many times people do that)? The bird flies of (still unseen), and flies towards me and then, calling very loudl it flies off up stream. It's 18 minutes later when the walker and his doggie had gone and then it flies back and settles on the same stick. In fact, in exactly the same place. Note: This is usual behaviour, once a KF has used a perch it will repeatedly use it. Unfortunately there was still a dog and owner near but this time, even though he is aware of them he stays put on the perch. During that 18 minutes I saw a bird fly strongly up-stream, this was the female leaving her sitting duties. I could clearly see that this perched bird was the male and after a few seconds, up he went to take his place on the eggs. The female had spent more than 2 hours in it's nest. All in all, after a lot of patience, a great outcome. It seems as though incubation is progressing nicely.
How can they breed here?
June 4th.
This is a blow by blow account of this evening's session at the Kingfisher site. It shows that this breeding pair of Kingfishers, who have already successfully fledged youngsters at this site are tolerant of an incredible amount of disturbance.
"I arrived at the nest site at 6.30 this evening to be confronted with people paddling deep in the water in front of the nest. My heart sank, I don't know how long they had been there of course but I decided to ask them to move away explaining that breeding birds were near here and they were probably causing a massive disturbance. They complied immediately and moved away which was good to see. That small party was replaced by another walker and his dog almost immediately so it will be interesting (to say the least) to see if the birds are going to be able to tolerate this level of disturbance. I certainly hope so, but only this evening's session is going to give me the answer. If I was a Kingfisher then there is no way that I would have chosen this site, the problem being that as the spring turns in to summer there is much more disturbance.
By 6.40 it has gone quiet thankfully and all the other local bird residents have returned in the shape of the breeding crows and a Pied Wagtail that is taking advantage of the massive amount of insect life and a Greater Spotted Woodpecker is calling behind me. But now, at 6.45, two young men are just down river skimming pebbles! It is incredibly frustrating but most people don't stay too long.
At 7.01 two noisy kayakers have arrived, the water is too shallow to traverse so they have climbed out of the boats and then wadded down river, what next? Needless to say, no sign of a Kingfisher yet.
Its 7.08 a dog and a walker arrive and the owner is throwing stones in to the water for her dog to chase. Incredibly with the dog and stone thrower still present I hear the first Kingfisher of the session, that's at 7.12, but not nearby ! Hopefully this is one of the pair coming to relieve it's mate in the nest. Unfortunately the dog walker is lingering and is still here at 1918 but eventually she leaves.
At 7.33 another kayaker gets stuck in front of the nest, he eventually gets free and then I hear a Kingfisher again.
I am still hopeful that one of the birds is in the burrow and has been there through all of this. Perhaps when you are 3 feet inside the bank, the disturbance is tolerable.
Disappointingly, just when I hoped for quiet, at 7.43, a dog and its two stone throwing owners have arrived. In to the water it goes with loud barks and much commotion, even the Wagtial is upset! I pray for peace! They remained for 14 minutes, hopefully now, a Kingfisher will show up?
At 8.07 a man arrives with no dog, a rarity in itself. He takes a few pictures of the river and stands around near the nest burrow, 2 minutes later he is gone and now I hear a Kingfisher close by but flying down river. At 8.11 it returns and calls 3 times. Amazingly I am joined in the hide by a recently emerged Golden Banded Dragonfly, a treat in itself.
But now, at 8.16 there are yet more dogs. They are in the water in front of the nest and then, as the sun starts to go down and the evening becomes golden, our latest dog walker has gone at last. It's 8.25 and a Kingfisher is now back with lots of calling and suddenly I can see it. (that's after a wait of 2 hours). I can now hear lots of calling with interaction between 2 birds, there is that churring sound that I mentioned the other day and then, suddenly I see a Kingfisher enter the nest....... amazing! It seems that there was a bird in the nest for the entire time that I have been here. It's partner arrived then called to let the sitting bird know. The sitting bird emerged and they greeted each other and then the new bird took over it's incubating duties. Its now 8.30 and I can still hear a Kingfisher, then I see it as it flies low over the water to the trees by the hide and now I have a clear view of it to my left and behind me, it's turquoise back glowing in the setting sun. Now there's much excited calling and flying around and at 8. 33 silence prevails. At 8.40, unbelievably, more doggie walkers arrive and a Golden Labrador plunges in to the water as a Jack Russell barks encouragement. I hear the recently emerged Kingfisher calling it's disapproval. Eventually as the dogs depart, the Kingfisher lands on one of it's favoured perches in front of me and I get to see that this is the male. It's an incredibly difficult shot with the bird silhouetted with the sky as a background.
Before I leave at 8.51 I see another bird enter the burrow and I decide that the lure of a cold lager is too tempting to resist, I pack up and come home happy to know that in spite of all this incredible disturbance they are incubating eggs."
Has incubation begun?
June 2nd
At the nest site. this evening there were some good developments. It wasn't long before I heard and then saw a bird fly past the nest burrow and down the river, and then back again. What transpired then was very reassuring. I have been trying to ascertain if there is a second clutch of eggs laid yet and if incubation has begun? Not being all that experienced with nesting Kingfishers, I still have a lot to learn so I have found it difficult to interpret behaviour. There was a lot of calling and it seemed as though the male was quite agitated as he flew to the bank by the nest, then he was disturbed by the usual dog walkers and I watched him come straight towards me and alight in the tree by the hide. To start with, this was different behaviour than I had seen before. The bird was quite aware of the presence of people and a dog just opposite and yet he chose to remain in the tree watching, he flew back to the nest even though there were people nearby, previously when there had been people nearby he had flown away, only returning when it was completely quiet. I wasn't sure where he was but I switched the camera in to film mode and focused on the nest entrance for a couple of minutes. I didn't see him enter the burrow but when I checked the video I saw that he had quickly and quietly taken his place in the nest burrow. It seems that he was waiting to take over his incubation duties and that's why he hadn't flown clear of the area. I think you can safely assume that there is a clutch of eggs and incubation has begun. I am thrilled that everything is progressing just the way I hoped it would.
The female displays.
June 1st
Its now June 1st and it's two weeks since I first realised that the Kingfishers at my licensed site had successfully fledged at least 3 youngsters. Things have got quieter and quieter around the site as every day has gone by, so much so that this evening I even began to think that they had moved on to another site. This morning it had been an hour before I heard, and then saw a bird and then because of walkers nearby it didn't linger. Of course, the female could have been in the nest all along, there is absolutely no way of knowing. Then this evening, again it was extremely quiet and it was also almost an hour before I first heard a bird and like this morning, its possible that the female was in the nest and I suspect that this was the case. With the male calling to my left my attention was drawn to that bird and I couldn't be sure if the female left the nest burrow, not being able to look in two directions at once. Then I caught sight of the female who was calling from near to the nest burrow. This was just the result I had been hoping to see. Then I witnessed some very interesting behaviour . I watched her fly up to the nest but instead of flying in, it hovered around the entrance for at least 5 seconds but probably more before returning to the mud beneath. It postured repeatedly, crouching low with an outstretched beak, bobbing up and then back down again which I took to be an invitation to mate. The male was nowhere to be seen now! This went on for a minute or se before she flew up to the burrow and disappeared inside. I have no idea if eggs have been laid, but my suspicions are leaning towards that.
Male feeds his mate.
31 May in the evening
Back at the nest site this evening there was quite a change in behaviour and now I am not really sure what is happening. Firstly, for the first hour of my observations I didn't see any activity at the nest burrow at all. From time to time I heard a bird but there was quite a lot of activity from people walking on the bank enjoying the warm early summer sunshine and it meant that the birds were keeping away until the coast was clear. Thats the way it proved because within a few minutes of quiet resuming I heard, then saw a bird which flew in to the willow trees next to the hide. This time it was perched on a better perch and I managed to improve on the photograph taken this morning.
The male became very active and was flying up and down the river. Every few minutes he would be back again and I assumed he was calling to the female who I was sure was in the nest burrow, At one point the male flew up in to the burrow and then I saw a bird fly up stream but I hadn't seen one leave the nest. The activity continued with much calling and "tooing and frowing" Every time I had the chance to check which bird it was, it was always the male. I was just about to leave for home and had started to pack up the kit but I was still inside the hide when the male landed on the same perch as before but this time with a small wriggling fish in it's beak. He left the perch and flew to the left but I could still hear him, now even more noisy and excited and I heard a different call which was more intense and had an element of a throaty chirp along with the usual high pitch one. I managed to catch sight of him and then to my surprise, there was the female as well. They were both tucked under cover and I couldn't see for certain but I am quite sure that the male fed the fish to the female. I don't know if the female had been there all along or if she had just flown over to interact with the male. I suspect that if there was a problem and they had decided that the burrow was no longer suitable then they would have left the area. I think the fact that I saw a bird enter the burrow and then saw both birds opposite the nest means that this nest burrow is in use. I am not sure if eggs have been laid yet though.
2nd clutch begun?
31 May
I believe that the female has now laid a second clutch of eggs but I can't be certain, but it does seem as though she is incubating. I had a strange premonition this morning as I walked towards the Kingfisher nest site, the thought struck me that it was about time one of them came close enough to get a good photograph. I had been inside the hide, which is opposite the nest burrow for just 6 minutes when I heard a Kingfisher approaching from my right and then he landed in the willow tree in front of me and to my left and at last, very close. I worked out that I have been watching for a total of 16 hours so far and I have seen both birds almost constantly from the opposite bank and now here he was, right in front of me. ! As you can see, I had some obstructions to deal with, branches and the like and the light was not ideal, it was from behind the bird and almost in my face, fortunately the sun went behind a cloud for a few moments and I had the opportunity to get some half decent pictures. I needed to use all my experience to make the best of the opportunity. This is the male bird, you can tell by his solid black beak, the female has an orange lower mandible. He remained on the perch here for almost ten minutes before moving off to join his mate who had flown from the nest burrow. I couldn't see him now, nor the female but from the amount of calling I imagined that they were mating. I didn't manage to see what hapened next but I think he flew in to the nest burrow. I was slightly concerned though because I hadn't seen either bird enter the burrow yesterday or today but then I caught sight of one disappearing inside, confirming that breeding activity is taking place. It seems that the female is spending most of the time in the nest. I have no evidence that proves the male has done any incubating as yet but thats not to say he hasn't. The male is far noisier than the female, he always calls to announce his presence whereas the female is more furtive. However, she does call as well. I am not certain but there seems to be two differing calls, without any scientific evidence to prove it but it seems to me that the female seems to have a two sylable call, differing to the male's single sylable. I actually stayed at the hide for 3 hours this morning and during that time the male came to the same close perch on three different occasions. On the last visit he first flew to the nest burrow calling loudly all the time, he didn't land but circled around and then came over to my side, landing in that very same spot and this time with a very big fat minnow in his beak, held tail first. This was without doubt an offering to the female. He reamained on the perch with it, calling constantly, for a minute or so. I was praying for the female to join him, hoping to see a common breeding interaction called the "fish-pass" but she didn't, much to my disappointment. Eventually he gave up and flew up stream with it. I was keen to see if any of my pictures were aceptable and I left for home just as the clock struck noon.
Breeding behaviour.
23 May
I was excited when I returned to the river today, I am always expectant and hoping that I would see something special. Even before I had got myself properly concealed and settled I heard a Kingfisher and saw one disappearing in to the nest burrow. This was good to see as it is immediate confirmed that everything was OK. Just like yesterday there was a lot of activity with repeated calling and much chasing around with first a Kingfisher calling to my left and then to my right. Then there was one calling from the mud in front of the burrow and I could see it looking up to the nest where the female had just entered. After a minute or so it flew in to the nest to join her and then moments later it tumbled out tail first, I assume that he couldn't turn around inside the nest because the female was in there and had to come back out in reverse. The male would leave the nest every few minutes and then return back inside immediately, this was repeated over and over. I had witnessed this yesterday. Today the birds excitement didn't seem so intense and after an hour or so it was almost calm with just the odd call as the male came in to check up on the female that appeared to spend more time in the nest again. Its hard to assess what stage they are at but I would assume that yesterdays activity and to an extent todays, was all about mating and breeding behaviour. It is going to be hard to guess when eggs have been laid.
Male tidies the burrow.
Wednesday May 22
I arrived at the river and in front of the Kingfisher nest burrow at a little after 9 this morning and thankfully there were significantly fewer dogs than on my recent previous visits. The Kingfisher activity was just wonderful. This was one of those really special days that I will never forget. The activity started almost immediately with constant calling from the male who seemed to be in and out of the nest burrow repeatedly. It was as though he was inviting her to come and join him. He was displaying to the female who was coming and going as well and at one time she was on the mud below the nest watching him as he flew around the nest entrance. There was almost constant noisy calling and much flying up and down the river. From time to time they were in the willow tree that my hide is tucked in to proving that they are totally accepting of the structure. I was hoping to see some mating activity and though it probably happened, unfortunately I didn't see it. The male at one point started to re-excavate the burrow which was a first for me as I haven't seen this kind of activity before. Interestingly, the female investigated another hole just a few feet away from the original one but after a flew visits up to it she changed her mind again and returned to the original hole. I tried very hard to get some interesting photos but I am a bit too distant for brilliant shots but never the less, its very interesting to watch them, a real privilege.
Lots of disturbance.
May 21st
Well before 7 this morning I returned to the hide that I have hastily erected in front of the Kingfisher nest on a river near to my home. Because of the need to keep disturbance down to a minimum I needed to be hasty and consequently it is a flimsy affair made from 5 "scrim face-veils" slung around stout willow sticks pushed in to the mud. It is camouflaged even further by willow pushed in to the ground around the edges. This morning it was 20 minutes before I heard the first Kingfisher of the day, a bird calling from up river to my right. Then I located it where it had perched, on the bank side just to the right of the nest. It appeared to be looking for prey in the fast flowing water beneath, I had seen it catch a minnow from this very same spot yesterday. It was the adult male and he continued to call almost constantly, a way of letting his female know that he was there. After a short while his attentions were drawn to something on my side of the river and he launched an attack on another Kingfisher that I hadn't been aware of, one of the juveniles from the first round. This bird flew back up river calling as it went with the male in hot pursuit. He is not tolerating any of his youngsters on the patch now. This is unfortunate for me because it means that I have missed the opportunity to photograph them being tended to and fed as they would have been for the first few days out of the nest. Minutes passed and then with more calling he was back. This time I saw a flash of colour as the female emerged from the burrow but that was all I saw of her, just a momentary fleeting glance as both birds flew down river to my left. Whether the male then did is incubating duties in the nest I am not sure, they fly in and out of the nest so quickly it is very easy to miss them arriving and leaving.
I returned to the hide at around 5. My first impression of this session was wonderment that Kingfishers actuallu breed here. The level of disturbance from dogs and their owners is almost constant and very worrying but as I know that young birds have successfully been reared to independance already this year then I can only think that my worries are unfounded. This evening dog after dog waas encouraged in to the water very close to the nest. I was quite sure that one of the pair was in the nest and this was confirmed later when during an unusual 10 minute period without dogs or people, the male arrived then called and the female appeared from the nest. I left at 7 with one dog in the water to the left of the nest and another in the water to the right!
No youngsters around.
Monday 21st May
Out at the Kingfisher nest site this evening it appeared to me that the youngsters that I had seen only a couple of days ago have now been driven from the territory. I had only been in the hide for a matter of minutes when I heard my first Kingfisher of the session but the dog walkers were so disturbing, I can hardly believe that there is a Kingfisher nest at this location. Eventually it went quiet, there wasn't a dog in sight and then I heard a Kingfisher before I saw it, right opposite and just feet from the nest hole. It was the male and he was perched on the mud "boulders" that had tumbled in to the water. From time to time he called, I took this to be a call to let the female, sitting on eggs in the burrow, know that he was there. I had it in focus through my camera and after a second or two it flew up on to the the top of the bank. It made a dive but it wasn't successful the first time but on the next dive he was and the catch was a large juicy minnow.
I wondered what was going to happen, was the fish going to be fed to youngsters, taken in to the nest or fed to a female somewhere close by? It was a slightly disappointing outcome because he simple ate it!
As it happened I didn't see any comings and goings from the nest tonight, I am assuming that the female stayed in the nest sat on her eggs for the entire 2 hours that I watched.
Youngsters still around.
The morning of 20th May
I returned to the Kingfisher site at 7 this morning. I have a busy day ahead with music but I was keen to try and see and hopefully photograph some interaction between the adult Kingfishers and their recently fledged youngsters.
I managed to get myself sat and concealed opposite the nest and so far I hadn't seen or heard a bird which was good because it meant that I hadn't caused any disturbance as I approached the area. Arriving and leaving are the two most dangerous times. This area is very busy with dog walkers and the birds seem to accept the comings and goings with no problems. For example, yesterday I watched a couple of people and a big Manchester Terrier playing in the water just 20 feet from the nest and as soon as they had departed the Kingfishers returned almost immediately. They have chosen to breed here in spite of the busy aspect, in itself a very interesting fact. Therefore, even though it is very important to keep disturbance down to the absolute minimum I do feel that this pair of Kingfishers are relatively used to the presence of human beings.
Back to this morning, it was a good 30 minutes before I saw and heard the first bird of the day. A kingfisher seemed to be flying up and down the river in front of the nest. I could hear it calling for several minutes both to my left and right but I couldn't seem to see it. Then I realised that it was perched at water level just beneath the nest and it continued to call. I assumed it was one of the youngsters and it wasn't until I fixed the lens on it that I realised it was the adult male. I realised what was going on when after 10 minutes I caught sight of a Kingfisher disappearing in to the nest burrow. Then another bird, obviously the female who had apparently been relieved of duties in the nest flew away up river. The calling male was letting the female know that he was there and ready to take over. What is going on? There are two possibilities. The first could be that there are still almost fully grown chicks in the nest still waiting to fledge? Or more likely, the female has already started on a second clutch of eggs and has begun incubation. I am going with the second theory because if there were near fully grown chicks in the nest, food would be delivered almost constantly and this is not the case. It is odd though that the youngsters from the previous round are being allowed to remain in the territory. Later on before I came away I saw two other Kingfishers, obviously youngsters.
I find the nest.
Saturday Evening May 19
In February I had started my observations where Kingfishers had bred on two previous years (to my knowledge). Unfortunately last years nest bank had collapsed and it was obvious that they were not going to breed there this year. I had searched for a potential new site and not seen anywhere nearby that I considered to be suitable nor had I even seen a Kingfisher there this year so I gave up to be honest. So today, as Jenny and I walked along we reached the area where they had bred last year. Amazingly I heard and then saw a Kingfisher immediately, then another and possibly even another, obviously young birds recently fledged the nest and this was confirmed when I saw yet another with a fish in its beak. This would be an adult flying in to feed the youngsters. I couldn't wait for the early evening to arrive, I planned to return when it was quieter and when the time came I returned and tucked myself in a bag hide in the general area that I had seen them in the morning. Almost immediately I started to see Kingfishers and it wasn't long before one flew across the river and landed just in front of me. Unfortunately this young female, even though she was only 10 feet in front of me was just obscured by branches and leaves.She was eventually disturbed by dog walkers and flew off without being aware of me. I sat waiting and an hour or so later I heard a bird on the opposite bank and then suddenly there it was just to my right, now only 6 feet away from me but not in front of the camera and any movement would have disturbed it for sure. Eventually off it went and then moments later it returned and spent 10 minutes or so preening. Its been 10 months since I last saw a Kingfisher very close and it was absolutely thrilling to see one again, so beautiful, bright turquoise and iridescent. Its easy to forget how stunning Kingfishers are.
Eventually this bird moved away, calling as it left the perch and when it was quiet I decided to position myself with a clear shot of this perch, still concealed inside the bag hide of course. It is imperative that you create absolutely no disturbance whatsoever and make sure that the birds have no idea that you are there observing them. Stealth, absolute quiet and secrecy is essential. Moments later another Kingfisher called, again from the opposite bank and I watched it settle in clear view, then it disappeared in to a hole in the bank...... I had found the nest! Moments later as I continued to watch another bird arrived and joined the first one in the nest. I took a photo or two and as quietly as I could I left the area and I could still hear young Kingfishers calling in the distance. All in all a great result.