Back With The King

Not quite the return of Elvis but decided to go back to Rye Meads Nature Reserve to check on the latest news of the nesting Kingfishers. According to reports at the Reserve the pair have been feeding their chicks so there has been plenty of activity with both male and female Kingfishers busy feeding their young. I saw plenty of activity at the nest site during my visit early in the week with both male and female busy bringing in fish to the nest. There were plenty of photo opportunities and I managed to capture a few images of them sitting on a pole having caught a fish. The light was however still quite difficult and fustratingly the Kingfishers seemed to prefer to sit on the pole that was closest to the nest and a long way from the hide so the images could have been sharper. As it was a very hot day both Kingfishers also spent some time diving into the water to either cool off or drink and I tried a couple of flight shots which I have included but I feel did not really come off. [I'm sure Bob would have nailed them]. The young Kingfishers are expected to fledge over this weekend and it is usual for their parents to only feed them for up to 3 or 4 days after this has happened. There may be better photo opportunities next week if the young can be persuaded to perch on the pole closest to the hide. The other exciting news from the Reserve is that this pair of Kingfishers aleady seem to be exploring another nest site so their is hope that there may be a new brood of young Kingfishers in the coming weeks.