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

Kingfishers (5 Viewers)

Hi Keith. I think you have walked pass the old boating lake. It is opposite that school off of Reservoir road. I shall find a link to some old photos. Hard to believe there was a lake there until the early 80s. I wonder if the Kingfisher used to fish there lol! Great!

Thanks Jason...is it the lower wet area to the right of the walkway going towards the blue bridge ?
 
Thanks Jason...is it the lower wet area to the right of the walkway going towards the blue bridge ?

Yes that's right Keith.
Here are some old photo's courtesy of Watermill school;
http://www.watermill.bham.sch.uk/ch...-project/research-in-2010/harborne-reservoir/

Here's some info on the work they are doing on the Bourn Brook Walkway, scroll down the page;
http://www.reacatchmentpartnership.co.uk/extended-information/selly-park-north

Yesterday was one of the best Kingfisher pair disputes or chasing I have seen along the Bourn Brook. I watched it for 30 minutes and they were at it before and after I left.
No so much action today on the Bourn Brook, the River Rea Kingfisher was in the same spot for the third week running this morning. Great!
 
Popped in to "my" site on the Arrow by Bittell just to adjust a perch and stopped for half an hour around 5pm.A king sneaked into view high in the trees and must have seen my bald head as it went back around the corner.....I quickly moved further away behind stingers and after 15 mins it flew low over the water passed me and off downstream.
 
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Popped in to "my" site on the Arrow by Bittell just to adjust a perch and stopped for half an hour around 5pm.A king sneaked into view high in the trees and must have seen my bald head as it went back around the corner.....I quickly moved further away behind stingers and after 15 mins it flew low over the water passed me and off downstream.

Nice one Keith.
I looked all over for a Kingfisher this morning on the River Cole, Scribbers Lane only for it to be further along at the Dingles. No idea where they are nesting on this stretch, though I've not really looked that much. There was an Egret and Heron further along. The GCG on Trittiford had one chick I could see calling for food.
There are a pair of GCG nesting at Manor Farm park lake which is good and the Tufted Ducks have returned. There was a Heron perched on a tree in the lake. On the brook at the back good numbers of all Kingfisher size fish were present. Nice to see the Sticklebacks. I got a couple in my garden pond. They take it easy unlike the Minnows which dart off.
On the River Rea the Kingfisher went past the usual area. Pretty sure the nest is along this stretch somewhere. Great!
(In my garden the nesting Bullfinch are gone, had a Blackbird still looking around to nest somewhere, not sure where it finely decided, I think it's tried three places now. Of all things I got a Pigeon nesting in my oak tree, I saw a Nuthatch in the tree as well today)

Here are the two Kingfisher chasing from Friday. Funny how they come out so small and fast on the film. I could clearly see them flying past lol.
https://mobile.twitter.com/jjzomerset/status/875774875801137152/video/1
This one is a bit clearer;
https://mobile.twitter.com/jjzomerset/status/876048562643251200/video/1
Not sure this video does the calling justice either, they were really going at it;
https://mobile.twitter.com/jjzomerset/status/876049918271647744/video/1
(one day I will have to go pro - not! Lol)
 
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Nice one Keith.
I looked all over for a Kingfisher this morning on the River Cole, Scribbers Lane only for it to be further along at the Dingles. No idea where they are nesting on this stretch, though I've not really looked that much. There was an Egret and Heron further along. The GCG on Trittiford had one chick I could see calling for food.
There are a pair of GCG nesting at Manor Farm park lake which is good and the Tufted Ducks have returned. There was a Heron perched on a tree in the lake. On the brook at the back good numbers of all Kingfisher size fish were present. Nice to see the Sticklebacks. I got a couple in my garden pond. They take it easy unlike the Minnows which dart off.
On the River Rea the Kingfisher went past the usual area. Pretty sure the nest is along this stretch somewhere. Great!
(In my garden the nesting Bullfinch are gone, had a Blackbird still looking around to nest somewhere, not sure where it finely decided, I think it's tried three places now. Of all things I got a Pigeon nesting in my oak tree, I saw a Nuthatch in the tree as well today)

Here are the two Kingfisher chasing from Friday. Funny how they come out so small and fast on the film. I could clearly see them flying past lol.
https://mobile.twitter.com/jjzomerset/status/875774875801137152/video/1
This one is a bit clearer;
https://mobile.twitter.com/jjzomerset/status/876048562643251200/video/1
Not sure this video does the calling justice either, they were really going at it;
https://mobile.twitter.com/jjzomerset/status/876049918271647744/video/1
(one day I will have to go pro - not! Lol)

Great post.....loads of action......Kings flying through....looks pretty much as it happens for me.
 
Not seen as many fish for years......on the ARROW looking down from the smaller of the two bridges near where you view the Egrets nest....if some other quieter places have as many then should be Kingfishers around.
 

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Not seen as many fish for years......on the ARROW looking down from the smaller of the two bridges near where you view the Egrets nest....if some other quieter places have as many then should be Kingfishers around.

Wow impressive lol. That's more than I've seen on the brooks & rivers I've checked and I thought those had more than I've ever seen. Though I once saw that many on that Brook at the back of Manor Farm Park but that year it didn't have a KF that I knew of. One fishing lake I check out in Essex is full of fish fry and KF fish, hundreds. Now got to see the KF lol. I wonder if it's due to the warm winter? Best thing though, it's good for the KF! Great!
 
Lower Bittell...20th June......terrible place to see anything now......."THEY" have not cut the hedges for such a long time.
A KING on one of the 4 close white posts...our eyes met as I struggled to see though the nettles and thorns...and it flew up to far end.....

Upper Bittell...22nd June.....So quite .....while trying to get pics of Swallows a KING flew along causeway wall below me and left down the drain off by the old engine house.....I only saw it when level with me....

2 near misses but at least a bit of action....lol
 
Lower Bittell...20th June......terrible place to see anything now......."THEY" have not cut the hedges for such a long time.
A KING on one of the 4 close white posts...our eyes met as I struggled to see though the nettles and thorns...and it flew up to far end.....

Upper Bittell...22nd June.....So quite .....while trying to get pics of Swallows a KING flew along causeway wall below me and left down the drain off by the old engine house.....I only saw it when level with me....

2 near misses but at least a bit of action....lol

Great to hear Keith!
 
It seems to have gone quiet on the Bourn Brook. I might have to look further along. The usual Kingfisher on the River Rea. Great!
I should have added there was a Buzzard actually in the small Bourn Brook valley. Very light coloured. I've seen it before and got photo's. Almost a resident lol.
 
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The River Rea Kingfisher was not calling so loud at 5.15AM this morning lol. I almost missed it quietly fly by. I heard it quietly call as it approached and it was closer than I thought. Then it went past in silence. It patrols the same stretch of river as the previous two years Kingfisher, so I assume it uses the same nesting locations.

It's too quiet on the Bourn Brook, I've lost my Kingfisher lol. Not unless it's further along near the Rea or Woodgate. There doesn't seem to be any young either. There was this one last year;
https://www.flickr.com/photos/88816303@N08/29572317566/
I'll keep checking.
I did however find a resident Buzzard! Lol. That's two days in the same spot. And I've seen it before and got a photo of it. It's got very light colours. Great!

(as well as the flood defence work on the Bourn Brook walkway and River Rea, Dogpool Lane, they have also started the River Rea/Bourn Brook/Selly Park work by the new Dental Hospital)
 
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I took a run around Woodgate Valley CP and was pleased to see a few KF sized fish in the brook. There were more by a weir across the dual carriage way and lot's in the brook in the valley of the Bourn Brook.
Early morning the Kingfisher was on the River Rea and Swifts and House Martins were overhead. Great!
(in my back garden there was a juvenile Pigeon and I got a couple fish fry in my pond)
 
A Male King hanging around the Outfall on Mill Shrub (Lower Bittell ).....These shots through all the hedge and leaves at 4 pm and then he was there again at 7.30.....think he just flitted into the trees by the road instead of all the way to far end.
 

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A Male King hanging around the Outfall on Mill Shrub (Lower Bittell ).....These shots through all the hedge and leaves at 4 pm and then he was there again at 7.30.....think he just flitted into the trees by the road instead of all the way to far end.

Nice one Keith!
On the River Rea this morning, Kingfisher in the usual place and more KF fish than I've ever seen in the Rea. House Martins overhead.
Then on the Bourn Brook there were more KF fish than the Rea and Merritt's Brook but I had not seen a Kingfisher for two weeks. Well glad to say with all the fish there was a Kingfisher. It might have been a juvenile as it's flight didn't look as positive as the usual KF. But great!
Then at Manor Farm Park, the GCG is still on the nest and there were more Tufted Ducks than last time. Then all the fish in Merrit's brook but not as many as I saw a couple years back but there were little tiddlers in the brook down the bottom of the slope from the car park and I've never seen any along this part before. Great!
(Back at home a few screaming Swifts overhead, I have seen them before this time of year)
 
Birmingham Kingfisher Five

I was up early and thought I would cram as many Kingfisher into one hour as possible, I was dead lucky with my timing at all locations;
5.10 AM The regular on the River Rea flew past calling (it was 5 minutes earlier than last week lol)
5.40 The Kingfisher location I have seen them before on the River Tame, it flew past the nest holes calling.
6.00 The nesting location on the River Cole, Stetchford, I could hear the Kingfisher making the two tone call, it then flew into view and landed on a perch. Good to see they are nesting here again.
6.10 River Cole, Kingfisher Country Park, Shard End.
Of all the luck I parked up and went to the adjacent river. I looked under the bridge and then two Kingfisher flew past me, chasing and calling each other.
Great!
 
Seven Birmingham Kingfisher

Seven Birmingham Kingfisher this morning.
The first pair at Stechford viewed from the road bridge, I could hear them calling but then realised I could just see them going in and out of the nest.
The next one at Shard End, I could just hear it along the River Cole hidden by all the vegetation when it flew up to circle back and fly down the river.
The Kingfisher on the River Tame, I heard fly past just as I arrived. Then when it flew back it was good to see not one but two flying together.
Same for the River Rea, I could see a couple birds in the distance on a tree perch, I thought that's not Kingfisher. Then next minute two Kingfisher flew past silently, they went under the bridge and I crossed the road and saw them fly out the other side and off down the river. Great!
(Back garden news, last weekend when we were sat under our our Oak Tree, we had a Nuthatch feeding & pecking above our heads for over thirty minutes, it was joined by another feeding as well)
 
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Seven Birmingham Kingfisher this morning.
The first pair at Stechford viewed from the road bridge, I could hear them calling but then realised I could just see them going in and out of the nest.
The next one at Shard End, I could just hear it along the River Cole hidden by all the vegetation when it flew up to circle back and fly down the river.
The Kingfisher on the River Tame, I heard fly past just as I arrived. Then when it flew back it was good to see not one but two flying together.
Same for the River Rea, I could see a couple birds in the distance on a tree perch, I thought that's not Kingfisher. Then next minute two Kingfisher flew past silently, they went under the bridge and I crossed the road and saw them fly out the other side and off down the river. Great!
(Back garden news, last weekend when we were sat under our our Oak Tree, we had a Nuthatch feeding & pecking above our heads for over thirty minutes, it was joined by another feeding as well)
Okay,
Thanks for the reply
 

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