A Kingfisher at Stodmarsh

24th August 2022

There are four hides at Stodmash Nature Reserve now that the Harrison Drove Hide has been dismantled and Feast's Hide is the northern-most and closet to the Grove Ferry end. It overlooks a large pool with a good combination of water and muddy margins and from a photography perspective is attractive as the sun is behind you. The other noticeable feature is the strategic positioning of three Kingfisher perches just 10 yards outside the hide, although up to now we hadn't seen or heard a Kingfisher so didn't think much more about it.

We were just settling down on the bench and sorting out food and drink for lunch when guess what. A kingfisher called, flew across the pool and landed on the centre perch right in front of us. Just how good is that?

At first it landed with its back to us which had the advantage of showing off that electric blue flash which you normally see disappearing up the river, hence the term "a flash of blue".

But then it rotated its position on the perch as if surveying the scene.

But then for the icing on the cake it dived a couple of times and caught a fish on both occasions.

Why can't it always be this easy???