Sunday 12 July 2015

July River Rea Kingfisher Couple

More great kingfisher sightings this week.
First down at Warren Fishery, Stanford-le-Hope.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, I could hear the kingfisher calling all over the fishery. On the match and main lake and then along the creek. I think I saw it very briefly Wednesday evening.
Then Thursday evening there were two on the match lake. A male and a female I presume as they were together in a couple trees over the lake. They did some crazy flying around the lake. They would fly across or around the lake and then all of a sudden turn off at ninety degrees and head off in a different direction. Not sure if this was due to realising as they flew around there were fisherman on the lake hidden by the reeds, so they flew off to avoid them. One kingfisher also flew up and over the path between the lakes which is good to see as it flies over my head.  They also seem to like the tree on the match lake just down from the entrance. It looks like they had another go at digging the nest hole by the entrance as there is dirt on the ground. I still think their nest is over on the creek behind the nest lake.

Back in Birmingham the kingfisher sightings got even better.
I now think there is a juvenile from the last broad on the River Rea behind Cannon Hill park. I've seen it hanging around the old nest sight and at the end of one of the avenue roads, fishing from a perch. Seen it a few times in the past month now.
My main curiosity has been where have the mother and father gone to? I've waited around the old nest which has been pretty quiet apart from the juvenile stopping or passing by. I've walked up the river and seen a kingfisher fly off but not call which led me to assume it was a juvenile. Then luckily I stuck my head over a bridge and saw a kingfisher flying off, giving a loud call. This was more like an adult. I returned to this area and hey presto, I found two kingfisher. At one point they both landed in the tree I was stood next to. I have to say their calls were very loud!! Then they flew off and the female stopped later with a fish. Great!! The female has the same chest markings as the mother earlier on the Rea and the bird I had watched on the Bourn Brook over the winter.