Has incubation begun?
June 2nd
At the nest site. this evening there were some good developments. It wasn't long before I heard and then saw a bird fly past the nest burrow and down the river, and then back again. What transpired then was very reassuring. I have been trying to ascertain if there is a second clutch of eggs laid yet and if incubation has begun? Not being all that experienced with nesting Kingfishers, I still have a lot to learn so I have found it difficult to interpret behaviour. There was a lot of calling and it seemed as though the male was quite agitated as he flew to the bank by the nest, then he was disturbed by the usual dog walkers and I watched him come straight towards me and alight in the tree by the hide. To start with, this was different behaviour than I had seen before. The bird was quite aware of the presence of people and a dog just opposite and yet he chose to remain in the tree watching, he flew back to the nest even though there were people nearby, previously when there had been people nearby he had flown away, only returning when it was completely quiet. I wasn't sure where he was but I switched the camera in to film mode and focused on the nest entrance for a couple of minutes. I didn't see him enter the burrow but when I checked the video I saw that he had quickly and quietly taken his place in the nest burrow. It seems that he was waiting to take over his incubation duties and that's why he hadn't flown clear of the area. I think you can safely assume that there is a clutch of eggs and incubation has begun. I am thrilled that everything is progressing just the way I hoped it would.
The female displays.
June 1st
Its now June 1st and it's two weeks since I first realised that the Kingfishers at my licensed site had successfully fledged at least 3 youngsters. Things have got quieter and quieter around the site as every day has gone by, so much so that this evening I even began to think that they had moved on to another site. This morning it had been an hour before I heard, and then saw a bird and then because of walkers nearby it didn't linger. Of course, the female could have been in the nest all along, there is absolutely no way of knowing. Then this evening, again it was extremely quiet and it was also almost an hour before I first heard a bird and like this morning, its possible that the female was in the nest and I suspect that this was the case. With the male calling to my left my attention was drawn to that bird and I couldn't be sure if the female left the nest burrow, not being able to look in two directions at once. Then I caught sight of the female who was calling from near to the nest burrow. This was just the result I had been hoping to see. Then I witnessed some very interesting behaviour . I watched her fly up to the nest but instead of flying in, it hovered around the entrance for at least 5 seconds but probably more before returning to the mud beneath. It postured repeatedly, crouching low with an outstretched beak, bobbing up and then back down again which I took to be an invitation to mate. The male was nowhere to be seen now! This went on for a minute or se before she flew up to the burrow and disappeared inside. I have no idea if eggs have been laid, but my suspicions are leaning towards that.
Male feeds his mate.
31 May in the evening
Back at the nest site this evening there was quite a change in behaviour and now I am not really sure what is happening. Firstly, for the first hour of my observations I didn't see any activity at the nest burrow at all. From time to time I heard a bird but there was quite a lot of activity from people walking on the bank enjoying the warm early summer sunshine and it meant that the birds were keeping away until the coast was clear. Thats the way it proved because within a few minutes of quiet resuming I heard, then saw a bird which flew in to the willow trees next to the hide. This time it was perched on a better perch and I managed to improve on the photograph taken this morning.
The male became very active and was flying up and down the river. Every few minutes he would be back again and I assumed he was calling to the female who I was sure was in the nest burrow, At one point the male flew up in to the burrow and then I saw a bird fly up stream but I hadn't seen one leave the nest. The activity continued with much calling and "tooing and frowing" Every time I had the chance to check which bird it was, it was always the male. I was just about to leave for home and had started to pack up the kit but I was still inside the hide when the male landed on the same perch as before but this time with a small wriggling fish in it's beak. He left the perch and flew to the left but I could still hear him, now even more noisy and excited and I heard a different call which was more intense and had an element of a throaty chirp along with the usual high pitch one. I managed to catch sight of him and then to my surprise, there was the female as well. They were both tucked under cover and I couldn't see for certain but I am quite sure that the male fed the fish to the female. I don't know if the female had been there all along or if she had just flown over to interact with the male. I suspect that if there was a problem and they had decided that the burrow was no longer suitable then they would have left the area. I think the fact that I saw a bird enter the burrow and then saw both birds opposite the nest means that this nest burrow is in use. I am not sure if eggs have been laid yet though.
2nd clutch begun?
31 May
I believe that the female has now laid a second clutch of eggs but I can't be certain, but it does seem as though she is incubating. I had a strange premonition this morning as I walked towards the Kingfisher nest site, the thought struck me that it was about time one of them came close enough to get a good photograph. I had been inside the hide, which is opposite the nest burrow for just 6 minutes when I heard a Kingfisher approaching from my right and then he landed in the willow tree in front of me and to my left and at last, very close. I worked out that I have been watching for a total of 16 hours so far and I have seen both birds almost constantly from the opposite bank and now here he was, right in front of me. ! As you can see, I had some obstructions to deal with, branches and the like and the light was not ideal, it was from behind the bird and almost in my face, fortunately the sun went behind a cloud for a few moments and I had the opportunity to get some half decent pictures. I needed to use all my experience to make the best of the opportunity. This is the male bird, you can tell by his solid black beak, the female has an orange lower mandible. He remained on the perch here for almost ten minutes before moving off to join his mate who had flown from the nest burrow. I couldn't see him now, nor the female but from the amount of calling I imagined that they were mating. I didn't manage to see what hapened next but I think he flew in to the nest burrow. I was slightly concerned though because I hadn't seen either bird enter the burrow yesterday or today but then I caught sight of one disappearing inside, confirming that breeding activity is taking place. It seems that the female is spending most of the time in the nest. I have no evidence that proves the male has done any incubating as yet but thats not to say he hasn't. The male is far noisier than the female, he always calls to announce his presence whereas the female is more furtive. However, she does call as well. I am not certain but there seems to be two differing calls, without any scientific evidence to prove it but it seems to me that the female seems to have a two sylable call, differing to the male's single sylable. I actually stayed at the hide for 3 hours this morning and during that time the male came to the same close perch on three different occasions. On the last visit he first flew to the nest burrow calling loudly all the time, he didn't land but circled around and then came over to my side, landing in that very same spot and this time with a very big fat minnow in his beak, held tail first. This was without doubt an offering to the female. He reamained on the perch with it, calling constantly, for a minute or so. I was praying for the female to join him, hoping to see a common breeding interaction called the "fish-pass" but she didn't, much to my disappointment. Eventually he gave up and flew up stream with it. I was keen to see if any of my pictures were aceptable and I left for home just as the clock struck noon.
Breeding behaviour.
23 May
I was excited when I returned to the river today, I am always expectant and hoping that I would see something special. Even before I had got myself properly concealed and settled I heard a Kingfisher and saw one disappearing in to the nest burrow. This was good to see as it is immediate confirmed that everything was OK. Just like yesterday there was a lot of activity with repeated calling and much chasing around with first a Kingfisher calling to my left and then to my right. Then there was one calling from the mud in front of the burrow and I could see it looking up to the nest where the female had just entered. After a minute or so it flew in to the nest to join her and then moments later it tumbled out tail first, I assume that he couldn't turn around inside the nest because the female was in there and had to come back out in reverse. The male would leave the nest every few minutes and then return back inside immediately, this was repeated over and over. I had witnessed this yesterday. Today the birds excitement didn't seem so intense and after an hour or so it was almost calm with just the odd call as the male came in to check up on the female that appeared to spend more time in the nest again. Its hard to assess what stage they are at but I would assume that yesterdays activity and to an extent todays, was all about mating and breeding behaviour. It is going to be hard to guess when eggs have been laid.
Male tidies the burrow.
Wednesday May 22
I arrived at the river and in front of the Kingfisher nest burrow at a little after 9 this morning and thankfully there were significantly fewer dogs than on my recent previous visits. The Kingfisher activity was just wonderful. This was one of those really special days that I will never forget. The activity started almost immediately with constant calling from the male who seemed to be in and out of the nest burrow repeatedly. It was as though he was inviting her to come and join him. He was displaying to the female who was coming and going as well and at one time she was on the mud below the nest watching him as he flew around the nest entrance. There was almost constant noisy calling and much flying up and down the river. From time to time they were in the willow tree that my hide is tucked in to proving that they are totally accepting of the structure. I was hoping to see some mating activity and though it probably happened, unfortunately I didn't see it. The male at one point started to re-excavate the burrow which was a first for me as I haven't seen this kind of activity before. Interestingly, the female investigated another hole just a few feet away from the original one but after a flew visits up to it she changed her mind again and returned to the original hole. I tried very hard to get some interesting photos but I am a bit too distant for brilliant shots but never the less, its very interesting to watch them, a real privilege.
Lots of disturbance.
May 21st
Well before 7 this morning I returned to the hide that I have hastily erected in front of the Kingfisher nest on a river near to my home. Because of the need to keep disturbance down to a minimum I needed to be hasty and consequently it is a flimsy affair made from 5 "scrim face-veils" slung around stout willow sticks pushed in to the mud. It is camouflaged even further by willow pushed in to the ground around the edges. This morning it was 20 minutes before I heard the first Kingfisher of the day, a bird calling from up river to my right. Then I located it where it had perched, on the bank side just to the right of the nest. It appeared to be looking for prey in the fast flowing water beneath, I had seen it catch a minnow from this very same spot yesterday. It was the adult male and he continued to call almost constantly, a way of letting his female know that he was there. After a short while his attentions were drawn to something on my side of the river and he launched an attack on another Kingfisher that I hadn't been aware of, one of the juveniles from the first round. This bird flew back up river calling as it went with the male in hot pursuit. He is not tolerating any of his youngsters on the patch now. This is unfortunate for me because it means that I have missed the opportunity to photograph them being tended to and fed as they would have been for the first few days out of the nest. Minutes passed and then with more calling he was back. This time I saw a flash of colour as the female emerged from the burrow but that was all I saw of her, just a momentary fleeting glance as both birds flew down river to my left. Whether the male then did is incubating duties in the nest I am not sure, they fly in and out of the nest so quickly it is very easy to miss them arriving and leaving.
I returned to the hide at around 5. My first impression of this session was wonderment that Kingfishers actuallu breed here. The level of disturbance from dogs and their owners is almost constant and very worrying but as I know that young birds have successfully been reared to independance already this year then I can only think that my worries are unfounded. This evening dog after dog waas encouraged in to the water very close to the nest. I was quite sure that one of the pair was in the nest and this was confirmed later when during an unusual 10 minute period without dogs or people, the male arrived then called and the female appeared from the nest. I left at 7 with one dog in the water to the left of the nest and another in the water to the right!
No youngsters around.
Monday 21st May
Out at the Kingfisher nest site this evening it appeared to me that the youngsters that I had seen only a couple of days ago have now been driven from the territory. I had only been in the hide for a matter of minutes when I heard my first Kingfisher of the session but the dog walkers were so disturbing, I can hardly believe that there is a Kingfisher nest at this location. Eventually it went quiet, there wasn't a dog in sight and then I heard a Kingfisher before I saw it, right opposite and just feet from the nest hole. It was the male and he was perched on the mud "boulders" that had tumbled in to the water. From time to time he called, I took this to be a call to let the female, sitting on eggs in the burrow, know that he was there. I had it in focus through my camera and after a second or two it flew up on to the the top of the bank. It made a dive but it wasn't successful the first time but on the next dive he was and the catch was a large juicy minnow.
I wondered what was going to happen, was the fish going to be fed to youngsters, taken in to the nest or fed to a female somewhere close by? It was a slightly disappointing outcome because he simple ate it!
As it happened I didn't see any comings and goings from the nest tonight, I am assuming that the female stayed in the nest sat on her eggs for the entire 2 hours that I watched.
Youngsters still around.
The morning of 20th May
I returned to the Kingfisher site at 7 this morning. I have a busy day ahead with music but I was keen to try and see and hopefully photograph some interaction between the adult Kingfishers and their recently fledged youngsters.
I managed to get myself sat and concealed opposite the nest and so far I hadn't seen or heard a bird which was good because it meant that I hadn't caused any disturbance as I approached the area. Arriving and leaving are the two most dangerous times. This area is very busy with dog walkers and the birds seem to accept the comings and goings with no problems. For example, yesterday I watched a couple of people and a big Manchester Terrier playing in the water just 20 feet from the nest and as soon as they had departed the Kingfishers returned almost immediately. They have chosen to breed here in spite of the busy aspect, in itself a very interesting fact. Therefore, even though it is very important to keep disturbance down to the absolute minimum I do feel that this pair of Kingfishers are relatively used to the presence of human beings.
Back to this morning, it was a good 30 minutes before I saw and heard the first bird of the day. A kingfisher seemed to be flying up and down the river in front of the nest. I could hear it calling for several minutes both to my left and right but I couldn't seem to see it. Then I realised that it was perched at water level just beneath the nest and it continued to call. I assumed it was one of the youngsters and it wasn't until I fixed the lens on it that I realised it was the adult male. I realised what was going on when after 10 minutes I caught sight of a Kingfisher disappearing in to the nest burrow. Then another bird, obviously the female who had apparently been relieved of duties in the nest flew away up river. The calling male was letting the female know that he was there and ready to take over. What is going on? There are two possibilities. The first could be that there are still almost fully grown chicks in the nest still waiting to fledge? Or more likely, the female has already started on a second clutch of eggs and has begun incubation. I am going with the second theory because if there were near fully grown chicks in the nest, food would be delivered almost constantly and this is not the case. It is odd though that the youngsters from the previous round are being allowed to remain in the territory. Later on before I came away I saw two other Kingfishers, obviously youngsters.
I find the nest.
Saturday Evening May 19
In February I had started my observations where Kingfishers had bred on two previous years (to my knowledge). Unfortunately last years nest bank had collapsed and it was obvious that they were not going to breed there this year. I had searched for a potential new site and not seen anywhere nearby that I considered to be suitable nor had I even seen a Kingfisher there this year so I gave up to be honest. So today, as Jenny and I walked along we reached the area where they had bred last year. Amazingly I heard and then saw a Kingfisher immediately, then another and possibly even another, obviously young birds recently fledged the nest and this was confirmed when I saw yet another with a fish in its beak. This would be an adult flying in to feed the youngsters. I couldn't wait for the early evening to arrive, I planned to return when it was quieter and when the time came I returned and tucked myself in a bag hide in the general area that I had seen them in the morning. Almost immediately I started to see Kingfishers and it wasn't long before one flew across the river and landed just in front of me. Unfortunately this young female, even though she was only 10 feet in front of me was just obscured by branches and leaves.She was eventually disturbed by dog walkers and flew off without being aware of me. I sat waiting and an hour or so later I heard a bird on the opposite bank and then suddenly there it was just to my right, now only 6 feet away from me but not in front of the camera and any movement would have disturbed it for sure. Eventually off it went and then moments later it returned and spent 10 minutes or so preening. Its been 10 months since I last saw a Kingfisher very close and it was absolutely thrilling to see one again, so beautiful, bright turquoise and iridescent. Its easy to forget how stunning Kingfishers are.
Eventually this bird moved away, calling as it left the perch and when it was quiet I decided to position myself with a clear shot of this perch, still concealed inside the bag hide of course. It is imperative that you create absolutely no disturbance whatsoever and make sure that the birds have no idea that you are there observing them. Stealth, absolute quiet and secrecy is essential. Moments later another Kingfisher called, again from the opposite bank and I watched it settle in clear view, then it disappeared in to a hole in the bank...... I had found the nest! Moments later as I continued to watch another bird arrived and joined the first one in the nest. I took a photo or two and as quietly as I could I left the area and I could still hear young Kingfishers calling in the distance. All in all a great result.