I am trying to move the Blog in to new new ways of displaying media in an attempt to keep abreast of the latest developments. This Blog entry is all about Kingfishers because I spent a bit of time today looking for signs of breeding activity having heard on Friday that my Schedule 1.license to photograph Kingfishers has been renewed for 2013. At this point I really must point out that it is against the law to knowingly disturb a Kingfisher at the nest site without the necessary license. It therefore goes without saying that if you are searching for kingfisher nest sites and you are not licensed to do so then you are breaking the law. To obtain the license I had to prove to the licensing authority, Natural England, that I had the necessary skills to photograph Kingfishers at the nest territory without disturbance.
Sadly, when I visited one of my licensed sites this afternoon it was disappointing to see a massive amount of the bank had collapsed over the winter and I doubt that this site is going to be suitable this year. At my other site there was more signs of burrowing which I could see from a distance with the help of binoculars.   I sat, very well hidden, and hoping to see some activity. The weather is  still cold but the light was good and if there had been anything to see then I would have been there. As it turned out there  wasn't anything to see so I decided, after a short while to beat a retreat not wanting to cause any disturbance. I am however, confident that I will be able to photograph breeding Kingfishers this year.  Tomorrow is going to be a busy day what with my Dippers, will they have continued to use the old nest. Then I will need to continue with my Kingfisher watching not to mention the caravan hide.  This afternoon when I went to fill the feeders and watch for a while I saw Nuthatch, Blue and Great Tits and something a bit different at last, a Mistle Thrush.