I hadn't been in my Kingfisher hide on the brook for a few weeks and on Friday I went just to check if it was looking promising or not. I was encouraged to see lots of signs that indictated Kingfisher. There was fresh droppings even on my hide, not massive aounts but more than a small bird like a Wagtail would leave and beneath the perches, signs that a Kingfisher had been there as well. This would have been overlooked if I hadn't had so much experience and knew what Kingfisher "lime" looks like.  They are very messy birds and spray  droppings often and copiously. If you know what to look for and where to look, you can easily  find their favourite perches. I admit to being quiet excited just knowing that a Kingfisher had recently been in the territory around the hide. With that in mind, on Saturday I devoted just under 3 hours watching and waiting for a visit, but  It didn't happen! I returned home a bit dejected but bumped in to a neighbour who regularly walks a dog along the patch.  He told me that he had only days ago, seen a Kingfisher  by my hide……. I knew I was right!

So this afternoon, the sun was shining brightly and I went back, again full of anticipation and enthusiasm That aticipation was givin a massive lift when, as I wriggled in to the hide (no mean feat with a badly bruised abdomen after surgery….. it hurt like hell), I saw a kingfisher 50 metres down stream and flying to land again. I was sure it wasn't stressed by me, if it had  been I am certain it would have continued flying and not have settled nearby. This was exciting, and I was pretty sure  that I was going to get a visit and it would eventually land on the perches just frame fillingly close to me. It was 21 minutes past 2 when I settle back and waited, and then 23 short minutes later I saw her fying quickly towards me, and bingo…… there she was, right on the perch. When I looked through the viewfinder I quickly locked on to her! She looked lovely, bright and fresh and gleaming. To my mind she looked even more stunning because the brook at this time of the year is a sludgy, dirty trickle and frankly it hasn't got much going for it. It is even almost devoid of birds and out of the 5 hours spent watching just the few feet in front of me, the only birdlife seen was a Kingfisher! 

But to continue, she was with me for 8 minutes. She was in hunting mode as you would expect at this time of year. The winter nights are long and birds need to feed properly in the short length of daylight. This is a good time of year to see Kingfishers because they are on the move and hunting during most of the short day. After posing for me for a while she flew to a a nettle stalk just opposite.  I could see her but my camera was pointing away from her, I gradually and as slow as possible moved the lens around towards her. When I had her in the viewfinder, I could see that now she really was on to something. She left the perch and then splashed loudly emerging with a fish on another perch close to the water  but too far to my right to get my camera on to her. She had a wriggling Stickleback in her beak and she spent at least a minute eating it. I just sat back and enjoyed the spectacle which was  nature at it's best. Then she had enough and off she went! A great afternoon.