Its been raining heavily, watching on the Alphin Brook is a bit limited when it's like this, therefore the garden always gets a bit more of my time and attention. When I get my teeth in to anything I always try and improve what I have previously done and yesterdays (posted this morning)  Goldfinch needed another try in, perhaps better light. Hope you like this one? Also tried on and off, to get some nice in flight Collared Dove photos and I almost did. I'm already excited about what I might achieve tomorrow.  

 I might get one flying towards me tomorrow! It's fun though on a dull and rain interrupted day. 

Notable Kingfisher Behaviour

I did walk down the Brook at 4 o'clock just to see what was what. The water level was extremely high and the water, fast flowing and milky tea coloured. I have learnt that these kind of conditions do not stop the Kingfisher from catching successfully. I hadn't seen him though for two days, but glad to say he was back again at around 4.45 this afternoon. I walked towards my hide which is again almost totally submerged. I saw my Kingfisher flying towards it and he swooped to perch on the branch that he expected to be there. It was totally submerged and he did an "about turn", with a fish still in his beak, and landed on a very small and not particularly substantial branch opposite. He tried to whack it as normal but couldn't really kill it on this flimsy perch. After a few hearty thuds, he left to fly back up to the concrete area to do the job. Two interesting points here. The first point was a confirmation of cognitive behaviour in that he was definitely seeking the familiar branches in front of my hide,proving that he remembered their presence. It wasn't until he arrived there and couldn't see them, that he turned around without landing to find something suitable. The second point is the proof of the importance of a good 'thudding" perch to kill his prey. I would like to think that I have definitely helped my Kingfisher over the winter as I have provided him with these perches that are so important. A third point, which goes against quite a lot of previously published information where it is stated that a Kingfisher can not catch his prey in either fast flowing, muddy or deep water. Not true because 'my" bird caught a fish in front of my eyes in water that was fast, muddy and deep!!! Beware when you read information on the internet. Do not blindly trust all  the recycled "false" facts that are published and republished by people who have done no research of their own.