UPDATE 7th March 2009
By wading through nearly 3 feet of water in near darkness before dawn this morning (and in the process discovering that my waders weren’t quite long enough
) I managed to get onto the island where the birds are nesting and, without causing them any disturbance, to get my portable dome hide into a better position for observation and photography of the nesthole area.
The effort was worth it though as the birds rewarded me with some excellent views and photographs
. Here’s just 3 examples – there'll be more on my website in due course -
This 3rd shot shows one of the birds perched on an exposed root near to an old nesthole (bottom right) in the opposite bank and almost directly opposite the hole they're currently using -
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REMINDER
As a fairly uncommon and easily disturbed bird, the Kingfisher is afforded the highest degree of legal protection under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. If you “intentionally or recklessly” disturb a Kingfisher (or any other Schedule 1 listed species) whilst trying to photograph it “in, on, at or near” the nest or whilst it has dependent young, and without the necessary Licence from Natural England, you may be committing a criminal offence punishable by a fine of up to £5,000 and/or a prison sentence of up to 6 months.
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Jeff
(Schedule 1 Licence holder for Kingfishers and Barn Owls)