A Couple of Hours with the Hertford Kingfisher

30th December 2025

Last year during the winter months the Hertford Kingfisher was hardly seen at all as the heavy rains caused the river to be very muddy and fast, meaning the Kingfisher could not fish there so went elsewhere looking for a calm pond.

However this winter, especially the last few weeks, there has hardly been any rain and the river is flowing at a slow pace and fairly clear so perfect conditions for the Kingfisher to sit in its favourite tree and stare down at the water.

When I got there the forecast sun had not materialised, but after half an hour the clouds rolled back and conditions were absolutely perfect so all that was needed now was the Kingfisher. It arrived about five minutes later so I started clicking away.

It sits in the same perfectly motionless position for several minutes at a time, so takes a long while to get a collection of shots in different poses. Here are the results.

And it was all worthwhile as he eventually caught a Bullhead which seems to be the commonest fish in the river.

The heavy spring rains followed by the hot summer have produced a bumper crop of  Hawthorn berries which provide a great back-drop, but considering the time of year I can only apologise for them not being Holly.

A couple of hours well spent.