Kingfishers on coast

[OMANPETE]

Hi all,
I was trying to find out about saltwater kingfishers on Google when this site came up. So I joined.
The reason for looking was that when we were in Marmaris, Turkey a couple of weeks ago I saw a guy pick up a dead kingfisher. As there is not a lot of fresh water in the area I was wondering if it was a salwater species?
Any help would be apreciated.
Peter. )

[Picidae]

Originally Posted by OMANPETE

Hi all,
I was trying to find out about saltwater kingfishers on Google when this site came up. So I joined.
The reason for looking was that when we were in Marmaris, Turkey a couple of weeks ago I saw a guy pick up a dead kingfisher. As there is not a lot of fresh water in the area I was wondering if it was a salwater species?
Any help would be apreciated.
Peter. )

Welcome to WAB Pete.

Turkey has 3 species of Kingfisher, Pied, Smyrna and Common, so a description would help. Or check these out:

http://www.naturephoto-cz.com/photos...IMG_6772mw.jpg

http://www.naturephoto-cz.com/photos...yrnensis-2.jpg

http://www.naturephoto-cz.com/photos...sher-15599.jpg

Pieds often fish off the coast and as others have mentioned, Common will move towards the coast if inland feeding areas are frozen or if that's their fishing ground anyway (I see them all year round in salted/brackish water where I am so they are not fresh water dependent).

Smyrna is also very possible since they don't even rely on water at all to feed.

[nakedgardener]

I think I'm right in saying that Pied Kingfishers can hover, so don't rely on having a perch. This makes them more able to use salt water habitats than other kingfishers.

[FUDGEY]

It's not uncommon to see our kingfishers hovering, watched one hover today hovering for a good 10 seconds. Also seen plenty on the coast in Winter.

[OMANPETE]

Originally Posted by Picidae

Welcome to WAB Pete.

Turkey has 3 species of Kingfisher, Pied, Smyrna and Common, so a description would help. Or check these out:

http://www.naturephoto-cz.com/photos...IMG_6772mw.jpg

http://www.naturephoto-cz.com/photos...yrnensis-2.jpg

http://www.naturephoto-cz.com/photos...sher-15599.jpg

Pieds often fish off the coast and as others have mentioned, Common will move towards the coast if inland feeding areas are frozen or if that's their fishing ground anyway (I see them all year round in salted/brackish water where I am so they are not fresh water dependent).

Smyrna is also very possible since they don't even rely on water at all to feed.

Hi again and thanks for the welcome and the information.
It was definately the one in the third picture. I am not good on recognition but it was multi coloured and did not have the big beak of the second picture.
As for them feeding in the sea when lakes etc are frozen... well it averaged 34C while we were there so I doubt that was the reason.
There are lakes near Mrmaris but they are several miles away.
Thanks again,
Peter.

[Picidae]

Originally Posted by OMANPETE

It was definately the one in the third picture. I am not good on recognition but it was multi coloured and did not have the big beak of the second picture.
As for them feeding in the sea when lakes etc are frozen... well it averaged 34C while we were there so I doubt that was the reason.
Peter.

Hi Peter

that's a Common Kingfisher (although not 'common' to look at!) - as I mentioned, they will inhabit coastal habitat all year round if that's their breeding area anyway but will probably be feeding in brackish water rather than over the actual sea if there's no freshwater nearbye.

[ellen h]

Originally Posted by rlchew

I have occasionally seen Kingfishers fishing around the saltmarsh and creeks along the Essex coast.

Richard

I saw kingfishers along the seawall between Benfleet and Leigh last winter,they were hunting the dykes(brackish water)there.

[Mermaid]

Hiya,

We were out today and saw a a few kingfishers on a lake (saltwater) there's a little Island in the middle not very big that they were on and they were coming quite close to the sides, its by a road, now we thought that they only were found near freshwater, i have read above though on that, but i thought they were a hard bird to see, one that liked somewhere quiet and somewhere with not a lot of people around?
It is the regular kind (blue on top etc) that we saw.

Couldn't believe it! What luck That brightened up our day for sure! My BF has seen one else where before but i have never and always wanted to see one, just didn't think that we would get that lucky!
Going back again as its only five Min's down the road. Never seen them there before though!

[sidewalkdoctor]

Originally Posted by sanderling

I was looking at two Kingfishers feeding along the freshwater ditches and lagoon just behind my local beach here on Isle of Wight. Does anyone know whether Kingfishers ever feed on saltwater fish in low tide pools along the beach for instance?

Sanderling, if you get down to the Western Yar at Yarmouth and follow the cycle track to Freshwater then you may just see kingfishers feeding there in the brackish river. You can also see them in salty water from the Yar swing bridge and also at Gurnard where the Luck enters the Solent.
Also in the brackish Lukely Brook in the middle of Newport (behind the Railway Medina pub).

Ben

[PeetieM]

Sorry,
I misread that as "toast", thought it was a foraging thread.