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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Kingfishers (2 Viewers)

Kingfisher later afternoon on the River Rea, Wychall. This Kingfisher has the most covered, secretive stretch of river I have known. No wonder it's taken me a few years to find it regularly on this patch. When I first found it, it was in some trees visible from a bridge over the river. Now I find it on a covered section and just see it fly for more cover. It has flown up to Northfield but recently I've not seen it fly beyond a 30 metre stretch. I thought the Bourn Brook kingfisher had a short stretch of a couple hundred metres but this one has beaten it. Great!!
On the way home from work on the M40 there were the regular Red Kites, with a Kestrel hovering, Buzzard and a Heron flying over. The KF rounded it off nicely. Great!
 
Kingfisher mating

River Cole
I thought today might be the day and I was right.
I got to see the Kingfisher courting and mating ritual again.
He sat patiently on a tree perch calling her. She then arrived, not on the tree perch but quite close to the water behind a clump of grass.
He then flew to her, they sat together for a few minutes, then mating took place, behind the clump of grass.
Then he flew off whilst she waited and it took a bit of time for him to return with and give her a fish.
He did sit in the tree perch with it but had to go to her with it, again behind the clump of grass.
They then flew off.
I can't say it was as grand as the pair on the River Rea last year, I didn't see the male upright straight pose, but still great to see!
 
The River Cole, female Kingfisher and I had to wait for the male Kingfisher to turn up. It seemed like quite along wait and we were joined by two nesting Robins, then more Robins, then squabbling male Blackbirds, then Pigeons and Crows. Then he arrived and sat on a tree perch quite close to me;
https://www.flickr.com/photos/88816303@N08/25932319240/in/dateposted-public/
Then they got together and off he went again to get a fish. It took him around 20 minutes to return with a fish for her. They then moved further along the river together. Great!!
 
This afternoon the the River Cole, Trittiford, Kingfisher did a quick fly past. The River Rea, Wychall was not on it's usual perch. Then there was the familiar call and along the river it flew to it's perch. Great!!
 
Early morning Kingfisher pair on the River Cole. I watched the male Kingfisher get the female two fish, they were a decent size! They then sat together over the river for a while and the impression I got was she seemed to want him to get more fish. He didn't look too keen on it and in the end she flew off and left him to it. With that I thought I best leave them to it as well. Pretty interesting stuff!!
I then took a visit to the Kingfisher pair on the River Rea and not sure what they were up to. I saw one Kingfisher skimming the river a couple times and then I saw two doing pretty impressive flying chasing each other with body rolls as they flew in and out of the trees. Not sure if these were a couple or a territorial dispute. Then one was on it's own fishing. So again I thought best to leave it to it. Great stuff!!
 
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It dawned on me recently there might be more Kingfisher further along the River Cole on the other side of Trittiford, Scribers Lane due to the reports both on here and BTO. I was right. In the early morning snow, there was a kingfisher flying along the Cole headings towards Majors Green. Great!!
 
The sun was shinning so I had a late evening run along the River Rea. There was a Jay, blackbirds, robins, thrush and wrens singing. The Kingfisher was on the stretch where I assume the female hung out. Great!
 
The Kingfisher flew along the River Cole, Dingles and stopped to have a wash, diving three times into the river. Great views. Yesterday I found a Mallard nest with five eggs. The Mallard was back on the next today.
 
Kingfisher late afternoon on the River Rea in it's usual spot. I thought I might have been out of luck as I couldn't find the one on the River Cole, Trittiford. But I did find a Blackcap, warbling away, plenty of Blackbirds and Robins, feeding. Which were joined by a Thrush and a Heron flew overhead. The mallard sitting on it's eggs is now almost completely covered by river bank growth. Great!!
 
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It was a reverse of yesterday. Pair of Blackcaps on the River Rea but no sign of the KF. The Kingfisher took some time to appear on the River Cole, past Trittiford. It's a lull since the mating at the start of the month. Several pairs of Blackbirds feeding.
 
As well as the Kingfisher at Trittiford, there was another further up the River Cole just before Majors Green. Great to have found it again!!
 
Three kingfisher this morning in the usual spots on the River Rea and River Cole. The one at Wychall was flying back from up the river when it saw me on the bridge, so it did a u turn and then a left turn and a right turn through some houses and then got back on course down the river. It was then doing the two tone call in a bush hidden part of the river. Great flying!
 
A quick run along the River Rea this evening after the rain and hail. The river was dark and muddy but the Kingfisher was in its usual spot with a heron. Great!
 
I enjoyed the dawn chorus at Trittiford, Dingles this morning. The number of songbirds is very impressive, blackbirds everywhere, a pair of blackcaps, LTTs, chaffinch, A GSWP flew straight at me. But no KF, I thought I heard it but no fly past. So I quickly ran along the Rea and there was the Kingfisher, calling and giving me a diversion as it flew up the river, brightly lit up by the morning sun. Great!
 

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