Best time to spot a Kingfisher

[nickyv32]

Hi there,
I am trying to photograph a Kingfisher but am not sure what is the best time to do this, I have found a nesting pair and saw them last night at 5.30. Is this the best time, it was very cold and damp as well.

Nicky

[ghough12]

I might be corrected but somewhere in the back of my mind tells me that you may need some form of licence to photograph a breeding pair - protection? not wanting to disturb the breeding habitat?

[nickyv32]

I am not anywhere near them, I have a super duper lens, so I can be a great distance away from them, there are loads of people trying to take photos of them.

Nicky

[ghough12]

nicky, there is another post - first kingfisher - on the forum by dunkyg


Just read that it is illegal to photograph kingfishers in or around thier nests, without a license,woops! ignorance of the law is no excuse, springs into my head! is this something i should consider for the next time? i honestly had no idea. are they endangered? please help!

good luck trying to capture this beautiful bird

[JeffH]

Originally Posted by nickyv32

I am not anywhere near them, I have a super duper lens, so I can be a great distance away from them, there are loads of people trying to take photos of them. Nicky

....and that Nicky is the problem - the potential disturbance of a specially protected species!

I'm sorry to disappoint you Nicky but if you're close enough to photograph the "nesting pair" (even with a "super duper" lens) then you're possibly committing a criminal offence merely by your presence, let alone trying to photograph them.

As ghough12 has indicated, Kingfishers are a specially protected species under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act and it is illegal to "intentionally or recklessly" disturb the birds whilst building their nest or whilst "at, on, in or near the nest". A licence from Natural England is required in order to photograph them in such situations - see NE's website for full details.

There's also more information on this subject in my "Kingfisher Diary (with photos)" forum thread - see here -
Kingfisher Diary (with photos) - my post of 27 March 2007 refers

Jeff

[nickyv32]

You seem to have got the wrong idea with my post in the Forum, I am nowhere near the nest and haven't even seen a nest. There are two Kingfishers sitting on a branch and I am presuming they are a pair, thats all.
I am just trying to take a photograph of a Kingfisher and wondered what time is the best time to see them. Possibly my wording was wrong on the first post.
Thanks

[eowynk]

i find this is a strange law as at the end of last summer i photographed a kingfisher at rye meads rspb reserve and they have a hide there over looking a sand bank where the kingfishers nested earlier in the year , the hid must only be about 100 yards a way,

[Kayleigh]

Originally Posted by eowynk

i find this is a strange law as at the end of last summer i photographed a kingfisher at rye meads rspb reserve and they have a hide there over looking a sand bank where the kingfishers nested earlier in the year , the hid must only be about 100 yards a way,

Yes! but you are hidden, They ear probably used to people going in and out of the hide and it is organised.
Where in the wild, you may disturb the birds. It is for their own protection.

[JeffH]

Originally Posted by nickyv32

You seem to have got the wrong idea with my post in the Forum, I am nowhere near the nest and haven't even seen a nest. There are two Kingfishers sitting on a branch and I am presuming they are a pair, thats all.
I am just trying to take a photograph of a Kingfisher and wondered what time is the best time to see them. Possibly my wording was wrong on the first post. Thanks

Sorry Nicky but with all due respect I don't think I've got the wrong idea about either your forum post, your pm to me or indeed the general situation you find yourself in.

In your opening post to this thread you said "I have found a nesting pair" and although you now say you are/were "nowhere near the nest and haven't even seen a nest" the fact is that if you see 2 Kingfishers together on a branch at this time of year they will almost certainly be a nesting pair. It's also fair to assume that they will probably be quite near to their nest site.

In any case, if you haven't seen and therefore don't actually know where their nest is, how can you possibly know whether you're near to it or not Kingfisher nest holes are often quite well hidden and are not always easy to see/find.

The golden rule in all wildlife photography must always be that the wellbeing of the target species is paramount and it seems to me that the most important thing about your situation is to avoid any disturbance of these birds in the area of their nestsite. If, as you say, "there are loads of people trying to take photos of them" then this pair's breeding success is already in serious jeopardy and the most responsible/sensible thing to do would be to alert the landowner of the presence of the birds (if he/she doesn't already know) and to inform both your local Wildlife Trust and your County Police Force's Wildlife Liaison Officer of the situation, so that any appropriate action can be taken to protect these birds - perhaps by cordoning off the area or diverting any nearby footpaths, etc.

As for eowynk's comments - we have many strange laws in this country (and I speak as someone engaged in the legal profession ) but in my opinion there's nothing particularly strange about the law relating to the protection of Schedule 1 species.

As for the example you quote at the Rye Meads RSPB Reserve, if I may say so (and as Kayleigh has already intimated) taking photographs from a hide located some 100 yards away from the nesthole and in the controlled environment of a nature reserve is really quite a different and far less dangerous (for the birds!) proposition than having hordes of snappers stomping around a riverbank or lake in an attempt to get a shot of a Kingfisher and without even knowing (or, dare I say, caring ) where their nesthole is. In the case of the RSPB Reserve, the wardens will have judged that allowing the continued use of the hide you mention presents no threat to the wellbeing of the birds.

Finally - Nicky, if you want to get that Kingfisher photo without the risk of committing a criminal offence and, more importantly, without causing the birds any disturbance, I suggest that you:-

a) get to know your subject by undertaking some research

b) get yourself a hide (if you haven't already got one)

and c) get yourself a licence from Natural England - you'll find full details and can print off an application form here -

Wildlife Management and Licensing: Licences - Natural England

Jeff

[nickyv32]

Just to let you know I have been on to Natural England given them all the details and they have confirmed that its fine so no problems this end.
Thanks