More Kingfishers - Meriden Park, Birmingham

This is a post about my cycle ride on Sunday 24th February. I decided to follow the River Cole through  the Birmingham Kingfisher Country Park. It starts at Coventry Road in Birmingham which is where I joined it. It's not really a pretty sight as it's full of the rubbish left on the banks from the flood waters. Also the path is not finished in a couple places so it was quite a challenge to cycle. I didn't really expect to see any Kingfishers early on but as I got further it was dawning on me I might not see any!! My regular spot to see them is from the Lea Ford playing fields to Babbs Mill Lake. The photo's on my flickr site are taken on this stretch. http://www.flickr.com/photos/88816303@N08/8343428808/in/photostream
In fact I kept on seeing one on this stretch and it would chase others away, both up and down the river. I think it was chasing them away or maybe it was a mate? Perhaps the one from the Summer was a mate, the winter one, a competitor infringing on it's patch as it had a pretty good feeding place, which was a man made tunnel where the slower water would run up as well as fish. It would sit on the convenient guard for this tunnel and catch the fish (see my flickr photo).
http://www.flickr.com/photos/88816303@N08/8343486436/in/photostream
So once I got to Babbs Mill Lake which was a new spot for me - I really thought I was not going to see any kingfisher. So I did the best thing - I asked the locals. A couple of people passed me walking their dogs so I asked one guy and he told me to check out Meriden Park, Birmingham. I didn't really know where it was, so asked him for some directions and he told me which roads to cross. So off I went but went so far and didn't see anything. I then realised Meriden Park was on a tributary to the River Cole and had a pool with an island. This is where I expected to see the Kingfisher so I scanned the overhanging trees and reeds that surrounded it. No luck. So I continued on my way along Kinghurst Brook and it goes behind a shopping centre with an Asda, a library and a bar and I could smell the smokers out the back of the bar. At this part the path can only be a few metres from the brook and I was probably looking more closely a the bar, the bridges and the Asda!! It was only when I turned around, thinking I had gone far enough I spotted a kingfisher in a overhanging willow tree, sitting motionless watching a spot on the Brook.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/88816303@N08/8503332257/in/photostream
I was gob smacked of all the places, right behind the bar, with the smell of the smoke, the traffic passing on a nearby bridge, people walking across a foot bridge coming back from Asda and here was the kingfisher. Almost like I could reach out and touch it. And it did not move or fly away, not only from me stopping but from other lads walking past or stopping by the bridge. So in an instant I got off my bike, got my camera out and was snapping away. Thankfully now I have learnt a few tricks - like what best setting to use on my camera - dummy!! Read the manual!! And the best one - to use any trees or uprights as a support/tripod!! Here's the picture;
http://www.flickr.com/photos/88816303@N08/8503332257/in/photostream
Then what happened next - even better - it dived into the Brook and caught a fish;
http://www.flickr.com/photos/88816303@N08/8504452820/in/photostream
and when I knew I had a photo, I got some film;
http://www.flickr.com/photos/88816303@N08/8504485108/in/photostream/
Now I realise it was zoned in on a shallow/blue part of the Brook and waiting for the moment. I've seen them like this before, when they are zoned in and humans taking photo's (yes me) do not bother them. They are after that fish.
So I took a few more photo's and it flew off, but not that far away and it was still fishing, but I think after a while it did notice me and after it caught one more fish it decided it had to shake me off. So it flew further away. I spotted it a couple more times before it finally disappeared for good. Which gave me time for a breather and time to calm down. It's funny when you've seen one in a spot, you think it will return or then can't believe it was there. A real weird trick. Of course sometimes they are there again as it's they're favourite fishing spot (Woodgate Valley and Leasowes kingfisher) but nine times out of ten that's it - they are gone and gone it was but for some pretty nice photo's and a great bit of film, swallowing that fish!!