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Where have all the kingfishers gone?

Grassman

By Grassman
in General Boating

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Posted
Posted

 

Have we just been unlucky or are there less kingfishers about this year?

 

We are currently on the GU near Marsworth and having come from Stone on the T&M, then the Coventry and North Oxford, we haven't seen any kingfishers during the couple of weeks we've been travelling. 

 

Do you others think there are less of them this year?

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Dave_P Veteran

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Posted
Posted
4 minutes ago, Grassman said:

 

Have we just been unlucky or are there less kingfishers about this year?

 

We are currently on the GU near Marsworth and having come from Stone on the T&M, then the Coventry and North Oxford, we haven't seen any kingfishers during the couple of weeks we've been travelling. 

 

Do you others think there are less of them this year?

I don't know about this year but over the last 5 years or so, my experience is that kingfishers are on the increase around Birmingham.  Or maybe I've just got better at spotting them.

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dmr Veteran II

dmr

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Posted

We over-wintered in new places this year so can't be sure, but I do suspect there are less than some years. The Herons are doing well. Saw grebes on the ship canal and yesterday saw a grebe on the T&M north of Middlewich.

 

I'm no twitcher but suspect Kingfishers are more visible in harsher winters? maybe they have to take more chances to get food.

 

.............Dave

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Captain Pegg Veteran

Captain Pegg

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Posted

I only saw one kingfisher on my recent trip from Droitwich up to Birmingham via the Severn and back down the Worcs & Bham. I would usually spot more particularly on the Severn.

 

i did see what I think was a Muscovy duck on the Droitwich Canal at Hawford. I thought it was a loose turkey on approach!

 

Over the last year I have seen a kingfisher around the moorings and flying along the River Salwarpe in the middle of Droitwich which supports Dave P's idea they are becoming more urbanised. That's probably a result of tree growth along the side of urban canals that makes so many of them look rural from the canal perspective.

 

JP

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dor Veteran II

dor

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Posted

I've seen quite a few on the Shroppie ovr the winter/spring but not seen one for a couple of weeks.  I think they will move to streams and rivers where the banks are more suitable for their nests.  They like to nest in burrows in banks which are not very common on the canals.

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koukouvagia Influencer

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Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Grassman said:

 

Have we just been unlucky or are there less kingfishers about this year?

 

We are currently on the GU near Marsworth and having come from Stone on the T&M, then the Coventry and North Oxford, we haven't seen any kingfishers during the couple of weeks we've been travelling. 

 

Do you others think there are less of them this year?

There was one on the Tring Summit a couple of weeks ago.

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PaulG Experienced

PaulG

Posted
Posted

Travelled the Severn from Tewkesbury to Worcester and back over the Bank Holiday weekend, and saw quite a few.

I was lucky enough to see one dive down from an overhanging branch and return with a fish in it's beak.

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Dave_P Veteran

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1 hour ago, Captain Pegg said:

I only saw one kingfisher on my recent trip from Droitwich up to Birmingham via the Severn and back down the Worcs & Bham. I would usually spot more particularly on the Severn.

 

i did see what I think was a Muscovy duck on the Droitwich Canal at Hawford. I thought it was a loose turkey on approach!

 

Over the last year I have seen a kingfisher around the moorings and flying along the River Salwarpe in the middle of Droitwich which supports Dave P's idea they are becoming more urbanised. That's probably a result of tree growth along the side of urban canals that makes so many of them look rural from the canal perspective.

 

JP

A friend of mine has a great photo of a kingfisher perched on the railing outside his boat in Gas Street Basin.  That's about as urban as it gets.

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Jerra Veteran II

Jerra

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6 minutes ago, Bee said:

I read somewhere that kingfishers suffer more than most small birds in harsh winters, 

Kingfishers do indeed suffer in hard winters.  The trend for the population has been that after a slump in the 80s they were increasing until around 2005 and since then have begun to decline again.

 

The past winter continuing into what is usually spring (at least it did up here) may account for a fall in numbers.

 

On the positive side with up to 3 clutches a year and up to 6 in a clutch the potential for a "bounce back" is good.

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larryjc Proficient

larryjc

Posted
Posted

As I even bought a camera with a special 'bird' feature to take  multiple shots in seconds - the little sods simply hide and laugh at me from inside big bushes.  We've been out weeks now and not seen one and that's on the Macc, T&M, Caldon, Staffs and Worcs, Fazely, GU and Oxford!!!

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reg Experienced

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Posted
Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, larryjc said:

As I even bought a camera with a special 'bird' feature to take  multiple shots in seconds - the little sods simply hide and laugh at me from inside big bushes.  We've been out weeks now and not seen one and that's on the Macc, T&M, Caldon, Staffs and Worcs, Fazely, GU and Oxford!!!

Here is how to do it. Took 720,000 photos to get. 

https://petapixel.com/2015/11/25/this-shot-of-a-diving-kingfisher-was-6-years-and-720k-photos-in-the-making/

 

Edited by reg
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LEO Influencer

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Hi

 

KK mentioned a Kingfisher on the Tring Summit in post 10, and there should be more as they have nested in one point on the summit for 100 years or more, excavating long tunnels in a sandy bank. Sadly a few years ago during the nesting season heavy rain caused the bank to collapse and a nest was lost. I saw 7 fledglings one afternoon a few years ago at the Berko end of the summit as they left the nest and often I see them among the boats of the LT moorings. If you are travelling along the summit you may well see/hear them beyond Tring station bridge.

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koukouvagia Influencer

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Posted
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20 minutes ago, WotEver said:

Wow. Just... wow. 

The patience of wildlife photographers is amazing.  A few years ago a professional photographer sat for days in his back cabin on the Tring summit waiting for the perfect kingfisher shot.  He had a fish tank on his back step with fish in it.  He was hoping that one of the Tring kingfishers would dive in.  

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reg Experienced

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Posted
Posted
6 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

I reckon it’s a plastic kingfisher on a stick...

If I took 720,000 photos of  plastic kingfisher on a stick I still wouldn't of got that shot?

  • Haha 2
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