I haven't posted on the blog for a couple of weeks, it's been nice to have a break but I am back today with a vengeance.  As many of my regular readers will know, I have had a lot of success over the years with Kingfishers on my local brook.  This usually commences in July when the youngsters have fledged their nests and are looking to establish their own territories, I went for a walk this lunchtime to see if I could see any signs in the spots that I have photographed them every year since 2009, I literally walked 100 yards from the car and there was a Kingfisher, right on a perch across the slower trickling shallow water.  I immediately went home and got my camera and went back.  

Within 10 minutes it was back and I was excited to see it and have the opportunity to take photographs. It is a young newly fledged bird, a male I think.  It has smokey black feet and dark smudges on the breast.  A house sparrow perched close to it and this was enough to illicit an aggressive response from the nervous little bird.  After a few seconds it dived in to the water and emerged with a massive River Minnow making this a very special 30 minutes or so.