A Female Kingfisher on the River Ver

 1st December 2020

Over the last couple of years there have been a couple of very tame Kingfishers along the River Ver which, not surprisingly, have attracted a number of photographers but have also been very popular with the locals and visitors to the park. Sadly they have been absent for the last few months but over the last week one has returned and has been thrilling its audience once more.

The immediate assumption was that it was one of the original Kingfishers, but this is a juvenile female and therefore a different bird to the others. Juvenile birds have a small white tip to the bill, and the females have a varying degree of orange on the lower mandible.

The Kingfisher was feeding continuously with a success rate of around 80%, and from the photos it would appear to be catching predominantly small Three-spined Sticklebacks.

Once you have caught your fish it is necessary to subdue it by smashing it several times on a branch.

Then, once it is suitably pacified you need to toss it in the air so that you can swallow it head-first.

But whilst this is all going on it is important to keep an eye skywards to look out for any potential threats from above such as Sparrowhawks.

For the last ten minutes I was there I thought I would try my hand at some diving action shots. Although quite tricky it was great fun and will certainly try it again next time.