I have a Schedule 1 Licence to Photograph Kingfishers at the nest.

.

This is a photograph from 2013.

jI've ust been out looking for kingfishers or should I say trying to find their nest and its been a disappointment.  I was there for about two hours without any success which is a bit of a frustration really.  I searched the bank for a likely looking hole but I couldn't find one even though  I was checking very carefully where they had nested successfully last year.  There are a few other areas where I suspect they  may be nesting and I'm hoping to go and check that out later on today.  It's always very frustrating at this time of the year, trying to find a kingfishers nest is hard but well worth it because when you find one it's extremely interesting and the photo opportunities are great. Of course I have a schedule one license to photograph kingfishers at the nest and I am fully conversant with the law and how it applies to photography and kingfishers at their nest territory. The best way  to discover a nest is to look for adult birds carrying fish back to their nest.  When they are feeding their young they will carry their prey tail first and this is a sure sign that they are feeding youngsters somewhere, then it is just a matter of following them and hopefully pinning down where their nest hole is. But do not do this if you are not licensed for you will be breaking the law. I would not consider myself an expert on the kingfisher but in previous years I have learnt so much about this beautiful species. For example the other evening I was sat by the river looking at a likely  nesting site when a couple stopped and spoke to me. They asked what I was looking for, as I had binoculars and  was wearing a camouflage jacket. I told them that I was looking for kingfishers but I explained about the law and how this affects people who want to photograph at a nestsite. They then told me that they hadn't  even seen a kingfisher previously when suddenly one flew right passed in front of us: they would not have seen it if I hadn't been aware of the call.  It flew away down river strongly,  they are very fast flyers and they have a large territory this is one of the reasons that is difficult to find their nest. Then after 10 minutes or so it came back in the other direction so I quickly followed it and then I had a really really close up encounter with it as it perched on a branch above the bank right  where they had nested in previous years. It seems though that this was just coincidental as I am pretty certain they are not a nesting in that vicinity this year.  Kingfishers will have two or three rounds of nests and my records indicate that I found some newly fledged youngsters on May 1 a couple of years ago.  I would imagine, using that as an example,  that there are Kingfisher nests with  quite large chicks at the moment so this is a good time for me to be looking for adults carrying fish prey.