Kingfisher in the rain.

On Sunday evening I had a call from Phil inviting me out to hopefully see and photograph the Kingfisher from one of his hides. With the weather forecast looking very poor it was a bit of a gamble, but these opportunities do not come up too often, and of course, if there is one British bird out there to brighten up a dull day it would probably have be the Kingfisher!!

The rain actually started just as we arrived at the hide and the light was poor. Fortunately being in the hide at least kept us dry and with many small birds coming in to the feeders there was plenty to see. 

We didn't even have to wait too long for the first visit from the male Kingfisher, when without warning it suddenly appeared on the Reedmace in front of us. Here it sat for some time looking down at the water as it hunted for small fish. It was also very aware of other birds flying over, at one point it watched very carefully as one bird flew over, although we didn't see what it was watching it was possibly a raptor of some kind.

Male Kingfisher on Reedmace.

A sequence of shots as it watched a possible raptor fly overhead.

Once the Kingfisher had moved on we were entertained by several visits from a Grey Wagtail and a Wren. 

Grey Wagtail.

Wren.

With several further visits by the Kingfisher, including one where he caught a fish, the light actually got even worse, despite it looking brighter every now and then in the distance. I kept saying to Phil, 'Is it getting brighter', unfortunately it didn't and it eventually made us decide to call it a day. However, it was an absolutely brilliant day with some unforgettable moments. One would never tire of seeing these spectacular birds, and this one was in perfect condition. As ever, a special thanks to Phil for making this possible and for the time he spends making sure I get the opportunity. 

As for the weather, well we would have to have waited another 48 hours before the sun was seen and it is now back to dull and damp conditions. Is it getting brighter? Well, not yet!!

The male Kingfisher on Hawthorn.