Kingfishers in Hertford

28th November 2022

There are plenty of Kingfishers in and around Hertford although in the summer months they are very territorial and are more difficult to see due to the leaves on the trees. However, as winter approaches the trees are bare and the birds will often have their preferred fishing places, and one such place is just on the edge of town. They are so unconcerned by your presence that people stop and take photos of them with their phones.

The sexes are similar apart from the colour of the bill which in the case of the male is all black as shown here.

The female, however, has orange at the base of the lower mandible which is often referred to as lipstick.

Here are the pair together with the female preferring to keep in the shade.

They fly very fast and are therefore tricky to photograph in flight, but I did manage to grab a couple of shots.

So lucky to have these on our doorstep.