Since last Sunday when I discovered a Kingfisher, very close to home, smack in the middle of the city just yards from supermarkets and a builders merchants, I have spent around 14 hours in my pop-up chair hide hoping for his return. The Alphin Brook runs through the Exeter suburb of Alphington and is contained by a concrete culvert that emerges through the Marsh Barton Trading Estate and eventually spills in to the Exeter Canal and then the River Exe.
It all started last Friday when I noticed a Green Sandpiper right beneath the pavement and I returned with my hide to eventually get some great photos of him/her. (See yesterdays post). So this morning my Kingfisher quest continued but even though I spent 3 hours, no hardship listening to radio (through earphones) and taking the odd shot of Grey Wagtails. In fact this mornings Wagtails were the best that I have got so far.

At around 5 o’clock the sun was shining and I decided to go back for a half an hour or so. it’s only a few minutes away. I had a plan to actually seat the chair in the stream, (it is only a foot deep), and that way I had a great shot potentially to the strategically placed log at almost water level. After ten minutes or so, I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the Kingfisher downstream and heading my way. Before he reached me he diverted in to the stream side vegetation and I thought that was going to be it. But then, very excitingly he landed just in front of me, not on my log but just behind and as you can see, on a dead dock stem. Last Sunday I had seen him on this very perch so I have perhaps discovered his favourite perching place which could be very useful. So, there he is perched in front of me and I took a few shots even though he was just slightly obscured by a branch just in front of him.

He was really close and he dived to catch something but was unsuccessful unfortunately for him and me! Then absolutely amazingly he few towards me and landed on my hide literally above my head. I could hear him only inches above and then he procedded to dive and fish from the top of the hide!

The video shows him fishing, but not catching before he flew to me. After a short while he left because unfortunately a couple of doggie walkers saw him perched on my hide and of course, that was just too much for him. They must have thought it funny though, my camera sticking out the front of the hide and the kingfisher inches above.