Kingfisher Diary (with photos)

[lippy113]

Jeff.......... I keep being drawn to your Kingfisher Diary over and over again i think we are all very privileged to have your pictures posted for us to view because not many people get to see such a beautiful wild bird except for that quick blue flash over the water as it flys away up to speeds of 40mph. You have documented it very well. My hat off to you my friend, keep sharing ....................Ady .............

[DavyG]

Jeff,

Excellent narration and some fantastic photographs.

Thanks for giving us an insight into the lives of these amazing and elusive birds.

Dave

[PMG]

Originally Posted by JeffH

but wouldn't it be worth it to get a Kingfisher in your garden -
I had to spend more than £5 grand on building two ponds and a stream to attract them into mine and goodness knows how much on fish stocks since then

Jeff

Ah but its paid off hasn't it - even if you never took another kingfisher pic!

Pauline

[JeffH]

UPDATE – 24th March 2008

May I begin with a few belated responses to some of the lovely comments made since my last post:-

Originally Posted by John

Hands up those that want a WAB meet in Jeff's garden. John

-
John- If I could only guarantee the timing of the pair’s visits to my garden and we weren’t dealing with a Schedule 1 protected species, I’d seriously consider a Gigrin-style Kingfisher viewing event for WAB members!

Originally Posted by PMG

Ah but its paid off hasn't it - even if you never took another kingfisher pic! Pauline

-
I can't argue with that Pauline!

Lippy113 and DavyG – thank you both for your kind words and encouragement.

Well folks, quite a lot’s been happening since my last update of the 9th March with these resilient and resourceful birds having been rather indecisive about their nest building plans during the last two weeks, the main reason being that unfortunately the water level surrounding their nesting territory has been going up and down like a yo-yo.

Regular followers of this Diary may recall that in my update of 17th February I mentioned that after the winter rains the water level had risen to an all-time high, then being at least 15 – 18 inches higher than I’d ever seen it before and actually above the level of the nesthole used last year. During the 3 weeks between the 17th February and the 9th March the water level dropped by at least 6 inches but by the latter date it was still above the level of last year’s nesthole.

As a result and as reported in my last update, the birds had started work on the renovation of an older (and higher) nesthole. However, during the following week the water level continued to drop and by the 15th March had fallen to just below the level of last year’s nesthole. I arrived on site before first light on the morning of the 15th and put my dome hide into position overlooking the older nesthole I’d last seen the birds working on. However, when the birds turned up as dawn broke I realised that they’d apparently switched their attention to the cleaning out of last year’s nesthole – leaving me (and my camera) facing completely the wrong way!

As I didn’t want to disturb the birds I was stuck in this position (with my view of the birds being partially obscured by a bush) for more than an hour until a dog-walker went by and caused them both to fly off. I then took the opportunity to quickly re-position my hide and by the time the birds returned I was all set up overlooking the other/correct nesthole. But guess what – when they came back they went straight to the first nesthole, again leaving me facing the wrong way!! At the time I was not amused but I can now see the funny side of it, and I’m sure you all will!!!

Here’s a photo of the female scraping her beak clean on a branch after a digging session –



After this it became apparent that the birds were seemingly still undecided which nesthole to use, with both of them flitting between the two nestholes and calling to each other constantly as if discussing the merits of each – if only I could speak/understand Kingfisher language! They also showed some considerable interest in the newly created section of vertical banking I dug for them last November (as mentioned in my update of 19th November) with both birds flying at the banking and taking pecks at it at least 10 times and as if conducting some sort of soil survey to check the suitability for a further nesthole. Unfortunately I suspect that bit of banking is too stony for them –
see photo -



Then to further complicate matters, on Sunday the 16th March we had some very heavy rain here and the water level went up again to about half way up last year’s nesthole – that nesthole is the one shown here, before the latest rise in the water level – see photo



When I visited the site first thing on Tuesday the 18th I found both the birds sitting quite close together on a branch overlooking last year’s nesthole, calling to each other very gently and looking rather forlornly at the now partially flooded entrance hole. They did this for nearly 20 minutes and made quite a pitiful sight – see photo



After that they resumed work on the other/higher nesthole with the male going in for several minutes and emerging in a very muddy condition.

Another factor which may have contributed to their indecision/switch of nestholes was my discovery of what appeared to be evidence of Badger digging immediately above the nesthole they had originally been working on. As mentioned in my update of 17th February, there’s a newly discovered Badger sett less than 50 metres from the nest site and the Badgers have clearly been gathering bedding and have been digging around (presumably for worms) right up to the water’s edge. My fear is (or was) that the Badgers’ digging at ground level may have caused the original nesthole tunnel to partially collapse – what a problem eh? – how to shelter the breeding activities of one protected species from the feeding activities of another? However, I’m pleased to say that since my initial discovery of the Badger-dug holes the Badgers seem to have lost interest in that particular area.

Throughout this period the birds’ usual courtship activities have continued with the male bringing in fish and passing them to the female. However, on several occasions the male has turned up with a fish, been approached by the open-beaked female (obviously expecting him to pass it to her) but has then moved away from her and eaten it himself – perhaps he’s playing hard to get? - see photo



On one occasion the female even knocked him into the water as she tried to take the fish! Then again, on several occasions he’s turned up with a fish for her during her absence and has spent several minutes calling/looking for her before deciding to eat it himself – see photos





Of course I can’t be absolutely sure that this is the same pair of birds that nested here last year, though they do seem to have the same favourite perches and general habits as previously. Having said that, a 2nd female continues to put in occasional appearances but is quickly chased off by the male. Incidentally, it’s apparently fairly common for some males to be polygamous with research from Russia and Sweden suggesting that up to 35% of males may pair with 2 females and in at least one reported case with 3!!

For the last couple of days and with the water level still high, the birds have continued to focus their attentions on the original/higher nesthole, though with more than 2” of snow falling yesterday and now melted away the water is currently lapping around the bottom edge of that hole and if we have any further significant rainfall during the next week or so their use of it will be seriously threatened – fingers crossed for a nice dry spell.

Incidentally and if anyone is interested, I’ve already posted onto the Gallery some photos I took during yesterday’s snowfall. I actually arrived on site before dawn and before it started to snow and then spent more than 3 hours tucked up in my hide as the deepest snow we’ve had for several years fell around me. The snow didn’t seem to bother the birds one bit – in fact they both took the opportunity to have a good preen and here’s some photos of the female ‘combing’ her feathers during the snow shower –







I was round there again first thing this morning and got what I think are probably my best shots yet of the birds mating – a rapid fire sequence of 19 shots using my new Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens with a 1.4 TC. However, the images are rather 'noisy' (even after some filtering) due to the need to use high ISO because of poor light. Here’s a few from that sequence plus some more shots I think you might like –















Finally, I'll let you know how things develop.

Jeff

[HARIMAU1610]

Excellent update Jeff. And some very good photo's to match. The mating sequence is the gold for me. Great stuff.

Ian

[juliejam]

Some excellent photos ...well done you must be proud ..

thanx for sharing ..


Julie

[Seajay]

Originally Posted by JeffH

I'm pleased to report that the sequence of 3 fish pass shots I mentioned in last night's posting have now appeared in the Gallery, if anyone's interested.

Jeff

Extremely interested Jeff! Lovely to see the shots and hear how things are going on. I am sure many people are like me who only get a brief glimpse of a Kingfisher never having the joy of a resident family! Thank you for sharing it with us and please continue.

Colin

[smartie]

Great report and photos, Jeff. As last year, I find myself already caught up in a shared concern for "your" birds. We've more rain forecast for later this week, so I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for the fate of the latest nest hole.

[pressld2]

Another excellent installment Jeff, with more superb images. It's great that you give us a mix of more formal portrait shots with behaviour shots too. I agree with you (and Ian) that the mating sequence is outstanding and it doesn't look at all noisy on my PC. The feeding, preening and nest building shots are all great too.

I have my fingers firmly crossed that the weather improves and the higher nest hole doesn't get flooded.

I saw a kingfisher myself yesterday - my second ever! - at Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve, but it was a couple of hundred yards away on the far side of one of the lakes. I sat for a couple of hours in a hide with some excellent perches right in front of it but no luck. So I am, as always, really grateful to you for providing me with my kingfisher fix!

Dave P.

[GME]

Amazing!! Such beautiful birds, really done proud by the quality of photos. Thanks ever so much for sharing and updating Jeff.

Gareth

[JeffH]

Thank you all for your very kind and encouraging words. It really is a pleasure to share my experiences and photos with such an appreciative and enthusiastic group of people

Ian and Dave P's comments about the mating sequence have reminded me of something I forgot to mention in the update.

Shortly before I got those shots there was an earlier (and quite amusing) attempt at mating. What happened was that the male was working in the nesthole with the female sat on a nearby branch with her back towards the nest.

Suddenly the male flew out and made for the same perch but instead of landing on the branch he landed straight on the female's back and attempted to mate. This obviously caught her by surprise and as a result both birds fell off the branch and into the water below - that seemed to cool the male down a bit and he then flew off.

Sadly it also caught me by surprise and I didn't manage to get any shots of it.

It did make me laugh though and was clearly not the most effective seduction technique - even for Kingfishers

Jeff

[aeshna5]

Lovely shots as usual. Pleased the Badgers have lost interest as I'm sure they would happily excavate the nest if accessible for the tasty contents!

Interesting to see the Kingfishers preening in the snow. Not something I've observed, but rarely see snow in the soft south these days- this weekend being the first this winter!

I think you have a book in the making here Jeff- a wildlife best seller. There are few birds that catch the attention of the public as much as the Kingfisher.

[Ollie]

Another superb installment Jeff, and those mating shots are absolutely brilliant photos.

Many thanks for sharing these intimate moments with us with us, and probably the best thing about all this is that it is being photographed with all the necessary permission, licence etc with no disturbance whatsoever to the birds themselves.

Roger

[jennyb]

Amazing stuff as usual, Jeff. I think we ought to pass the hat around to get some central heating for your hide - you must have almost frozen to death this last week

Jenny

[samuelmansfield]

Hi jeff,

great set of photos. I was given your name as someone who might be able to offer advice about how best to encourage kingfishers to land in a particular spot on a river bank. I work for a film company and we are filming in a ladys garden that backs onto a waterway that is frequented by kingfishers. We are setting up a series of cameras to film the wildlife that visits her garden and wondering what is the best way to attract the kingfisher to perch at the bottom of her garden. Alot of people just say to stick a pole in the ground at an angle and eventually the bird will land, but I was hoping you might have more specifics ie best angle, distance over water, best material e.t.c. Is there a website that offers this kind of advice? Is it as simple as just sticking a stick in the bank?

We will be filming from late next week,but need to get advice in the next day or 2, so anything you might suggest would be much appreciated!!

Many thanks,

Sam Mansfield

[lancs]

Having stumbled upon this website to id a bird of prey I spotted near Matlock a couple of weeks ago (a humble SpHawk I suspect) I then stumbled upon this thread. Jeez, it's incredible! I spent much of the weekend transfixed by the stunning photography coupled with the fantastic narrative describing the amazing lives of these beautiful birds..

Can't wait for further updates, please keep up the great work Jeff!

[Wolfhill]

Your posts in this thread really are fascinating Jeff, I myself have only ever seen a Kingfisher twice(once from my school bus). Your photos and posts really make up for my lack of sightings. I am always reading every single word you write it's that good a thread! The photographs, like the mating sequence are just fantastic, well done Jeff!

[Bub-les]

Again Mr Kingfisher the photos are brilliant as is the narrative. I agree with aeshna5 and think you should write a book. There are very few people who get the chance to witness what you do and your style of writing is good as well.
Barbara

[nightshade]

I agree with Bub-les these birds must pay! You have practically written a book here on the WAB site (please mention us )
Your dedication to document the Kingfishers would interest so many people
out there

[Brocker]

Once again Jeff, FABULOUS. . . There are more comments about that book you should be writing. I am sure that with a full years diary on these very entertaining birds and your fantastic photos, there will be a publisher out there that would snap your arm off to be a part of that venture. . . . Even if you do not take the book route, hand this down as it is a fantastic piece of work about a subject that very obviously has you as intrigued as all of us. Wonderful

[Bub-les]

How are the kingfishers getting on Jeff?
Barbara

[JeffH]

Originally Posted by Bub-les

How are the kingfishers getting on Jeff?
Barbara

My sincere apologies to all the regular followers of this thread for the fact that it's now more than 4 weeks since my last update, but I've been incredibly busy on all fronts with Kingfisher watching in the early mornings; Barn Owl watching in the evenings and trying to squeeze in a few hours at work in between

I've also recently spent some time walking some of Cambridgeshire's waterways looking for and monitoring further Kingfisher nests as part of the BTO's Nest Record Scheme and have so far found 2 (possibly 3) further nestsites. More on that in due course.

As for our local birds, I'm afraid that soon after my last update the water level rose yet again and flooded them out for a 3rd time . However, the birds were not deterred and simply moved on to yet another (their 4th) nesthole.

Here again the water level rose further before peaking at just below the bottom of the entrance hole, but it has since receded and I'm pleased to report that the birds are now well into the incubation phase. In fact, I expect hatching to take place within the next 3/4 days at which time the rather frenzied feeding activity will begin again with the parent birds bringing a steady flow of tiny fish to the nest. I'll keep you posted

Incidentally, thanks to everyone for all your very kind remarks after my last update. I'm greatly encouraged by all the suggestions that I should write a book. So much so that I've been exploring the possibilities and I'm pleased to say that I've already had an expression of interest (and I put it no stronger than that ) from a leading natural history publishing house. Here again I'll let you know how things progress (and will be taking advance orders ) but I just don't know how I'm going to find the time - it's probably going to have to be a retirement project in a year or two's time.

Finally, I've been a member of our local camera club for almost a year now and have been along to some excellent presentations by some fantastic professional wildlife and landscape photographers. However, I hadn't realised before just how competitive the camera club world is with regular club/area competitions taking place and with all manner of subjects covered. Thus far I've shown little interest in these competions but after displaying 4 of my Kingfisher shots in the Club's recent Open Exhibition and getting some very favourable comments (including a loud "WOW" from a 9 year old boy - which made my day , I decided to enter the Club's Annual Colour Print Competition earlier this evening and, to my surprise and delight, won 3rd place with this shot. I'm over the moon



Jeff

[Bub-les]

Thank you for your eagerly awaited update. Glad to hear they're OK and have managed to overcome the water level problems.
Very glad to hear that you've at least investigated the possibility of a book. Just imagine that boy's Wow from many more children! and adults too for that matter!
Watch out photo competitions can get addictive! Seriously ...well done you.
I'm looking forward to the next set of updates! I appreciate just how much work can interfere with life!
Barbara

[pressld2]

Hi Jeff,

Never any need to apologise - the anticipation of the next installment is half the fun!

Originally Posted by JeffH

I'm pleased to say that I've already had an expression of interest (and I put it no stronger than that ) from a leading natural history publishing house. Here again I'll let you know how things progress (and will be taking advance orders )

Well you can put me down for a copy straight away - signed of course!

Originally Posted by JeffH

I decided to enter the Club's Annual Colour Print Competition earlier this evening and, to my surprise and delight, won 3rd place with this shot. I'm over the moon

Well all I can say is if that came 3rd I would LOVE to see 1st and 2nd! I know I'm biased towards wildlife photography but it's hard to imagine anything beating that.

Dave P.

[PMG]

Originally Posted by JeffH

Thanks Carol and I'm delighted to share my photos with you all. BTW I'm a Wigan-born lad myself but have now been exiled here in the flatlands of East Anglia for 30 years.

Jeff

There's hope for the rest of us not exiled then?

Pauline

Btw fantastic shots and unmissable reading!