Kingfisher Diary (with photos)

[JeffH]

Thank you all once again for your kind words and encouragement.

Jeff

[nightshade]

Hi JeffH,lovely photos beautiful birds,any technical details or tips to pass on ?
Camera,lenses type of hide etc.
I can see you love your subject, keep up the good work

[Kymba]

Just catching up with threads posted as have two sons visiting and can;t get on the computor for love or money

Jeff what fantastic Photo's
I am so jealous of you! I love Kingfishers when we go to steves parents caravan, I spend a lot of time in the Hide over looking the parks lake watching these amazing Birds, (along with many birds) They have several Kingfishers that settle there every year,
I will try this year to get some photo's.
But i can't wait to see more of yours keep them Comming .. maybe we should all move in for the summer

[JeffH]

UPDATE – 14th April (Part 1 – the technical stuff)

If I may I’ll write this update in two parts and begin by responding to Nightshade’s request of 9th April for more “technical details, tips, etc” –

Originally Posted by nightshade

Hi JeffH, lovely photos beautiful birds,any technical details or tips to pass on ? Camera,lenses type of hide etc. I can see you love your subject, keep up the good work

For those not interested in the technical stuff, may I suggest you skip this part and go straight to Part 2 (a separate post) which contains news on the birds themselves.

As far as technical details are concerned - the camera I use is a Canon EOS30D fitted with a Canon BG-E2 battery grip. For all the photos linked to this thread I’m using a Canon EF
100 – 400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM lens, mainly with a Canon EF 1.4xII extender/teleconverter (except for my most recent shots, taken from a hide less than 12 feet from the birds – more on that later).

For anyone interested I also use a Manfrotto 190 ProB tripod with a Manfrotto 804RC2 pan and tilt head and Canon RS-80N3 remote switch. I also have a Manfrotto 322RC2 horizontal grip action ball head but prefer the pan and tilt head for hide work. All of this and the rest of my camera gear ( + folding camping stool for use in the hides) is carried around in a LowePro Vertex 100 AW backpack – the most compact and comfortable backpack-style bag I could find to hold all my gear, with the camera + battery grip + lens all ready assembled.

Whilst I’m perfectly happy with all my camera gear, let me emphasise that I’m not claiming it to be the ideal choice for anyone else – in my view, the choice of equipment is a very personal matter and what’s right for one may not suit another. Having said that, many of my choices have been based on the very valuable advice I’ve received from other WAB members and from reading various threads and reviews, etc on this site.

As for technical tips on photography, frankly I wouldn’t be so presumptuous as to offer any of these at this stage and being still quite near the bottom of a very steep learning curve in terms of my own digital SLR experience. There are many other WAB members far better qualified and experienced to advise on such matters. Having said that, there are 3 fundamental bits of advice I’ve been given, have acted upon and would willingly pass on to anyone else – buy the best quality lens(es) you can afford; use a tripod and cable release whenever possible and get to know the workings of your equipment really well so that adjustments to camera/lens settings ‘in the field’ become almost second nature and you’re not left fiddling around with your settings long after the bird, insect or whatever has flown.

Turning now to hides, initially all my observations at the nest site were from a semi-permanent hide I’ve built on site. This comprises a 4 foot cube made from 4 fence stakes with some horizontal hazel sticks nailed around the tops (for added stability) and around the sides of which I’ve wrapped/stapled some garden wind-break material. I’ve then covered the top with some waterproof sheeting re-cycled from a garden waste bag. The top and three sides have been covered with some army surplus camo netting into which I’ve stuffed bits of brushwood, dead weeds, ivy, etc to help blend the whole thing in with its surroundings and with a couple of lengths of garden string around to help prevent it all being blown away. A very cheap and cheerful construction – see photo below - which has so far withstood the elements, has not been vandalised and, most importantly, has been accepted by the birds.



You’ll see from the photo that the hide sits on top of a mound of earth and it is situated some 50 feet from the actual nest hole in such a position as to give me a good panoramic view of the whole of the nest site area and so that I can observe the birds fly-paths into and out of the site as well as some of their favoured perching/fishing positions within the immediate area. Being on the mound also enables me to access and exit the hide from the rear and out of sight of the birds.

More recently I have also invested in two of Kevin Keatley’s (of Wildlife Watching Supplies – Wildlife Watching Supplies - Wildlife photography, Nature photography, Photo blinds ) excellent temporary/portable hides – a bag hide and a dome hide, plus one of his neoprene camo lens cover sleeves. The bag hide is, as the name implies, simply a large but specially shaped bag made from camo material and which you simply throw over yourself and your tripod/camera. It has holes for your camera lens and for you to look through. For those with a certain sense of fashion you can also wear it in a sort of poncho style but, when in position and having no supporting frame, it moves if you move. As most of my observation sessions with the Kingfishers last 2 – 3 hours I have found it difficult to maintain a sufficiently still position for that length of time and therefore decided to get a dome hide as well. Having said that, the bag hide is an ideal piece of kit to have with you if you’re just out for a day’s birding or nature watching and in case you stumble across something of interest such as a nest site, watering hole, fox’s den, etc, enabling you to quickly and easily conceal yourself and snap away.

As for the dome hide, this is a really excellent bit of kit – see photos and details + wildlife photography tips on Kevin’s website. I know there are cheaper types of hides around (and any number of home-made designs) but this one really is the bee’s knees, being very well made and having been designed to Kevin’s own specification and based on his experience as a wildlife photographer. I simply can’t fault it and it has enabled me to get within 12 feet of the birds and with them being completely oblivious to it, even though I remove it from the site after each visit. The technique I’ve adopted is to arrive at the site before dawn and to erect the hide behind the mound of earth mentioned earlier and out of sight of the birds. The hide can be erected in 3 – 4 minutes (even in the half light of just before dawn) and, making sure that neither bird is perched near the nest hole, I then walk the hide slowly into position carrying it from within (no doubt an intriguing sight for any casual observer that might be around and further enhancing my reputation as the local nutter ), carrying all my camera gear in my backpack, and simply drop it down into position and then peg it down from within and set up my gear. One or other of the birds usually arrives on scene within about 10 or 15 minutes of my arrival but, so far, they have shown a complete disregard of the hide. In fact, one of their fly-paths to the nest hole brings them within about 3 feet of it. On leaving the site I simply pack up my camera gear within the hide, pull out the pegs and again waiting until neither bird is in the immediate area, then walk the whole thing slowly back behind the mound where I dismantle it.

Finally, the only other ‘tip’ I feel confident in offering is this – for anyone intending to conduct a long-term observation/study of any particular bird or creature or even if you’re just going out for a few hours to try to find and photograph a particular species, learn as much as possible about your target species beforehand and, in the case of birds, particularly their song/calls. It is a condition of obtaining a Schedule 1 Licence that applicants “…should be able to demonstrate an awareness of the breeding ecology of their target species…” and in order to meet this criteria (and using the wonder of the internet) I have managed to locate and to purchase copies of each of the only 4 books on Kingfishers published in the UK during the last 50+ years and all of which are now long out of print. Reading these books has given me an invaluable insight into every aspect of the Kingfisher’s breeding behaviour and knowing something of what the birds are doing and why has increased the pleasure of my observations enormously.

Jeff

[JeffH]

UPDATE – 14th April (Part 2 – the birds and their behaviour)

Since my 5th April update there has been yet another noticeable change in the birds’ behaviour and I’m fairly confident that having completed the egg laying phase they are now well into the incubation period.

When seen at close range Kingfishers are surprisingly small birds being only a little bigger than a robin in terms of length from tip to tail and weighing in at an average of only about
36 - 40g or about 1 ¼ ozs. Needless to say, they are very proficient at catching small fish and typically consume a little over their own bodyweight each day, perhaps taking 15 – 18 minnows or similar sized fish.

I have noticed that after a night spent roosting the very first thing that the birds do each morning is to go fishing and this doubtless explains why they are so much more active around the areas of water in their nesting territory during the early morning than say at dusk, by which time they will hopefully have had their fill.

During the egg laying phase it is particularly important for the female to maintain her condition and bodyweight and this is why the male appears to spend most of the first hour or so of daylight during this period catching fish and bringing them back to the nest area to pass over to the female. On one of my early morning visits I saw him bring 4 good sized fish to the nest hole within 50 minutes. Each time he would take up a position on a perch opposite calling constantly. The female often kept him waiting for a few minutes (familiar theme there eh fellas ) before emerging from the hole, joining him on the perch, taking the fish and then going back into the hole. Doubtless the male had also caught a few fish for himself in order to build up his own energy levels and so his fishing rate in that first hour of daylight must be quite prolific.

Getting back to the egg laying, a typical clutch is said to be 6 or 7 eggs with the female laying one egg each day on the bare soil of the nest chamber. However, brooding does not begin until the clutch is complete so as to ensure that all the chicks hatch on the same day with an equal chance of survival. Therefore, after each day’s egg is laid (usually by mid-morning according to the research of others) the female leaves the nest hole to resume fishing for herself and to preen.

During the last few days I have noticed that the birds’ habits have changed, with fish passes from male to female having stopped and with the birds now spending roughly equal periods of time (of about 1 – 1 ¼ hours) in the nest hole. As incubation is shared by both sexes this indicates that we are now in that phase – more on that in my next update.

Finally, here’s a couple of close range photos taken from my dome hide within about 12 feet of the birds. In the 2nd photo note the bird’s unusual (syndactyl) feet in that the 2nd and
3rd toes are joined as far as the second joint.





Jeff

[nightshade]

Thanks for the very comprehensive reply and the resultant beautiful images

[HARIMAU1610]

Cracking shots ! I love the angle of the kingfisher on the first.

Ian

[Ollie]

Again another excellent update with lovely photos as well. A pleasure to read and view Jeff. Many thanks for sharing all this information with us.
Roger

[glsammy]

This is one thread I never miss, fascinating stuff Jeff.

[jennyb]

This is better than any soap opera! Can't wait to see the babies.

Jenny

[buzfuz8149]

Hi Jeff,

fantastic photos and report (especially for a pie eater ). Seriously though I think it's sterling work you are doing and can't wait for the next episode.

Carol.

[JeffH]

Thanks again to everyone for your kind words and encouragement.

UPDATE – 1st May

There’s been very little to see (and report on) at the nest site since my update of the 14th April, as there’s really not much activity around a Kingfisher nest during the incubation period. Indeed if you didn’t know the nest was in use chances are you’d walk right by it.

All that one generally sees of the birds during this phase of the breeding cycle is as they changeover incubation duties, when one of them flies in to the site, perches near the nest hole, calls to its mate and as the mate leaves the nest hole and flies off the newly arrived bird takes its place in the nest. All this happens in the space of about 30 seconds so if you happen to miss it (as I’ve done whilst pouring myself a coffee in one of my hides ) you’ve then got a wait of at least an hour before the next shift change.

Having said that, on one occasion the female sat on the eggs for 1 hour and 50 minutes before allowing her mate to take over and despite the male arriving at the nest hole some 30minutes earlier and calling her constantly from a nearby perch whilst patiently awaiting his turn. I have absolutely no idea why she did this – perhaps they’d had a row

It’s usual for Kingfishers to have at least two broods and often three in a season. Sometimes they use the same nest hole, having cleaned out the fish bones and other nest waste before the female starts laying the 2nd batch of eggs. However, more often they use a different nest hole near to the first and it’s apparently quite common for one of the birds to begin work on the 2nd hole just before the first batch of fledglings leave the nest.

However, whilst I was at the site yesterday evening I watched the male digging a new nest hole in a bank some 20 metres or so from the original hole and only about 30 cms above the water level. None of the 4 books on Kingfishers that I’ve read in recent weeks reports such behaviour before the first batch of eggs has even hatched, so it seems that this male is either particularly well organised and forward thinking or has perhaps decided that he might as well make himself useful during the periods that his mate keeps him waiting around

Incubation typically takes 18 – 21 days and if my calculations are correct I believe that hatching is due any day now, after which the level of activity around the nest site should really take off with the parent birds needing to bring in up to 100 fish per day to feed their young - I’ll keep you posted.

In the meantime, here’s a couple of photos of the male and female in fairly unusual poses –





Jeff

[buzfuz8149]

Hi Jeff,

Another excellent and informative report, I am sure everyone will agree that most of us are learning something new as we read each one. The photos are always first class and I am waiting now for the next episode. Keep them coming.

Carol.

[John]

Enthralling stuff Jeff. I can't wait to see if you manage to photograph any of the young un's

John

[Ollie]

Thanks for the upate Jeff, I learn someting new just about every time you post an update. Fascinating about the male excavating another hole in readiness. look forward to your next report
Roger

[vinnychameleon]

Cheers Jeff. Great reading and lovely pictures

[demicav]

Fantastic pictures and diary, will definately be keeping up with this thread. Can't wait to see what happens next .

[JeffH]

UPDATE – 9th May

Well, what a difference a week makes!

Those of you who read my update of 1st May will know that I was then eagerly anticipating the hatching of the first brood, but the last week has been a mix of set-backs, sadness and surprises and, just as I thought I was beginning to understand something of the behaviour of these birds, I now find myself in a state of total confusion Let me explain –

In my last update I mentioned having seen the male of the pair working on a new nest hole some 20 metres or so from the original and whilst the female was, I assumed, incubating the first clutch. I put this down to the male being “particularly well organised” and making ready for the 2nd brood – however, this assumption proved to be completely incorrect .

When I visited the site again the following afternoon I found BOTH birds working on the new nest hole, having apparently abandoned the original nest just at the very point in time when I believed the eggs were due to hatch Sadly, it soon became clear that the birds had lost all interest in the original nest but why, I wondered, having spent a total of 6 weeks or so in digging out that first hole; laying the eggs and patiently incubating them would they do this?

On closer inspection of the original hole I found some evidence of the vegetation on the top of the bank immediately above the hole having been disturbed. In particular, a rather large prickle had been partly snapped through and now hung down the face of the bank alongside the nest hole, offering an ideal opportunity for a stoat, rat, mink or a similar predator to climb down to the hole and raid the nest. There were, however, no visible signs of actual damage to the nest hole or eggs – no broken shells, no enlargement of the hole, etc. But clearly something serious had happened to cause the birds to abandon their nest at such a stage.

To their credit, the pair continued to work diligently on the new nest hole over the next few days and the cycle of fish passes from male to female, followed by copulation re-started all over again. Only occasionally did one of the birds re-visit the original nest hole, where it would sit for a few minutes on the perch I’d placed a few feet away looking rather forlornly at the hole (or is my imagine perhaps getting the better of me now?) but without any attempt to enter.

This behaviour has since continued with the female spending a lot of time perched low in a bush next to the new nest hole, presumably preserving her energies for egg laying and with the male providing her with a steady supply of fish. Every now and again I’ve seen the female pop into the nest hole for half an hour or so and I’m assuming that the daily egg-laying phase is now underway (again!).

Then, yesterday evening, I again observed the female sat low in the bush near the new nest hole. Within the space of a few minutes the male arrived twice with fish for her and on the 2nd occasion then flew on to the perch near to the old nest hole before actually going into the hole – this was the first time I’d seen either bird do this since they abandoned it a week ago? He was out again after 30 seconds or so, made several shallow cleansing dips in the water and resumed his position on the nearby perch.

Now for the surprise – whilst the female remained in the bush near the new hole and the male stayed on the perch near the old hole, out of the blue a 2nd male appeared and landed on a perch I’ve positioned near the new hole! So I briefly had 3 Kingfishers in vision (but too far apart to get a photo of them all) and although the two males couldn’t see each other due to the bend of the bank between the two holes, they were both calling quite loudly in a very upright and alarmed position and gave the very clear impression that they were aware of each other’s presence.

The 2nd male stayed for only a few seconds before flying off but his brief appearance presented a further possible explanation for the abandonment of the first nest – whilst it is apparently quite common for male Kingfishers to have polygamous relationships with two females (observations made in Russia and Sweden indicate that 20 – 35% of nests involved polygamous couples), the arrival of a 2nd male within the nesting territory of an established pair usually provokes violent aggression between the males and it has certainly been known for them to fight to the death with one bird gripping the other by the neck and drowning it.

It has also been known for the incoming male to attempt to sabotage the established pair’s breeding success by raiding the nest and destroying the eggs, presumably in the hope of breaking the bond between the pair and taking over the male’s role. This, I fear, may well be the explanation for the abandoning of the first nest

I was at the site again at first light this morning but saw nothing of the 2nd male, with the pair going through their usual routine of fish passes from male to female followed by mating. But, unusually, they also made regular visits back and forth between the two nest holes with both birds entering the old hole on at least one occasion and with the female also having a spell of 35 minutes in the new hole – hence my confusion as to what the birds are up to – or perhaps they’re even more confused than me!

Anyway, as ever I’ll keep you posted as things develop and in the meantime here’s a couple of photos of the recent feeding activity (with apologies for the poor quality due to poor light, high ISOs, over-cropping, etc and any other excuses you can think of )

Jeff

[glsammy]

Fascinating Stuff Jeff. Your doing an superb job, keep it up!

[rlchew]

Jeff

This is amazing stuff .... who needs soap operas?

The natural world .... you can not beat it .

Please do keep the reports and photos coming. I am sure that all WAB regulars are thoroughly enjoying this.

Richard

[demicav]

Shame about the first nest but hopefully there will be some chicks soon. Good photos as usual.

[Chris P]

Just read the hole of this thread and its great reading... I love that 'hide' you made Jeff.
great to see the on going situation
looking forward to see-ing more installments
regards Chris

[jennyb]

Better than any soap! Menage a trois.... whatever next?

Can't wait for the next installment.

Jenny

[Ollie]

Thanks for the update Jeff, been following this from your first post and it's enthralling. I look forward to the next update.
Roger

[mrs fish]

Maybe a stoat or weasel did raid the first nest as you saw damaged plants and the new male has just come along at that time

Eagerly awaiting next installment