Kingfishers

Since this blog started 18 months ago it has featured numerous creatures - badgers, water voles and discussed the possibility of otters.  But there is one common animal that has only been mentioned in passing - kingfishers.
Kingfishers are common along the ock, which is hardly surprising - the steep soft banks are ideal for nesting and the overhanging branches of sycamore and willow trees are ideal for perching on before catching one of the plentiful supply of small fish.  In fact no walk along the ock would be complete without at least one sighting of a bright flash and a high pitched whistle as one flies past.
But there is one simple reason for kingfishers not featuring very prominently in this blog - they can be very difficult to photograph.
For a start, they are surprisingly small, an adult is only 15 cm tall and despite their almost exotic colourings, they can be quite hard to spot if they're perched on the branch.  And eventually when one is located, they don't often stay still for long, often disturbed by cyclists, dogs or over optimistic photographers.
This juvenile shows how difficult it can be to see them, as it sits on a reed:
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The best place to see kingfishers - if not to photograph them - is along the lower ock as it flows through the ock valley walk:
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Maybe with a bit more practice and lot more patience, better photographs may appear before the kingfishers leave the ock for winter.
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