Where as last year it was good to see Kingfisher pairs, this year it's been good to find kingfisher nests. I got close to finding a nest last year on the Cole and have checked out the area this year and the kingfisher are nesting in a similar area. I found another nesting area and have been lucky enough to enjoy Kingfisher courting, mating, digging the nest hole and then going in and out of the nest hole to sit on the eggs and then feed the chicks. I've seen both the male and female kingfisher doing the feeding and the change in their frequency of feeding. In that sometimes the male was doing more feeding and then the female. Towards the end of the feeding, the male would sit outside the nest with a fish. I think it was trying to tempt the chicks out of the nest. I think it started too early, as it was doing this two weeks before the chicks fledged. Then a week before they did fledge, the female started to do the same thing. I got a photo of them both outside the nest with fish.
Also towards the end I noticed the male kingfisher would take little rests in between feeding. He would sit for a short time in the bushes before resuming feeding.
Then finally it came to seeing the first kingfisher chick fledging. This was lucky timing for me, as it fledged on a Sunday. I presume the rest came out during the week when I was at work. It was great to see a fledgling. It sat in the bushes waiting for food from it's mother.
Then it chased off after the mother and I presume it was fed further down the river.
