The new Kingfisher…. very pleased to meet him….. a young male and my new friend for the next few months! The photo is slightly hazy because of foliage between me and the bird.

Here it is………. the seasons new territory holder. I am pleased to report that it is a young, and quite young…… 6 or 7 weeks  male Kingfisher.  It is really exciting to be able to prove that somewhere close by,  a pair of Kingfishers have bred and produced young this year. This,  in spite of the two nests that I am licensed to photograph at, failing due to heavy rain and flooding.  The story of this photograph is really exciting and a good one. I don't do early mornings very well and thankfully with Kingfishers thats not too important because they are active throughout the day. It was around 1030 when I went down to the new Kingfisher hide that I had erected 13 days ago, the day before yesterday I had seen a Kingfisher right in front of the new hide. I had been yesterday to try for a photograph but without success. I sat waiting for an hour or so and then decided that even if  a bird arrived the light was going to be all wrong.  I emerged and planted the perch in a new spot now up stream and with the light coming from the right direction. Now, this new position was obscured with grass and water plants so I did a bit of gardening to clear the view, but I didn't over do it. Back in the hide, I sorted things out and got the lens focused on the perch but I hadn't done enough gardening and the perch was still a little bit obscured.  I had been out of the hide and up to my wellie tops with water for at least 5 minutes and I was anything but subtle as I pulled out grass clumps and dock leaves.  Then back in the hide I had made a commotion rearranging the monopod etc. So imagine my utter delight when there right in front of me was the "new" Kingfisher. Frustratingly he immediately dived in and came up with a Stickleback but I just couldn't photograph him eating it because of the grass between me and the perch.After a while he flew down stream. Wow, (I only use this word very rarely, but this was a wow moment).  I climbed out of the hide again and thoroughly cleared the annoying grasses and sat back to survey the scene, a Kingfisher called and there he was again! I still couldn't photograph him this time, my camera was still in my lap!  I tried to poke it out of the hide "hand-held" but he didn't like it and off he went. I thought that was it and made my way back to the car but I had left my keys in the hide.  So back to the hide to get them ……. and there he was again, sat right on top.

In the afternoon I returned for more  and the Grey Wagtails really showed well. There were three in total, a breeding pair and one of their youngsters.  They all perched on the branch placed for the Kingfishers.

Still untidy in a moult it aggressively confronted another bird perched nearby.