Kingfisher nest latest news.

I am licensed to photograph Kingfishers at the nest.  Without a license it is against the law to photograph Kingfishers at the nest site, a maximum fine of £5000 could be imposed. 

The last time I was at the Kingfisher nest site was exactly 2 weeks ago. At that time I had doubted that the nest was still viable but I had some hope when I did see the male perched opposite the nest. But I hadn't seen any bird going in or out of the burrow for several visits. I had been keeping an accurate diary and knew that if there were eggs and the parents were sitting, then they would be due to hatch sometime last week. I had a planned trip to Minorca on the calendar so I came to the conclusion that the best thing to do was to check things on my return. If there were chicks in the nest then the parents would be in and out to feed them. So this evening, there I was, sat in the hide..... without a camera...... just to check if there was any activity and frankly without much hope. I had sat for at least 45 minutes when I suddenly I heard a Kingfisher, then I heard it again and then again and the next thing was the sight of a Kingfisher disappearing in to the nest burrow and within seconds out it came again. I just couldn't stop smiling to myself, almost with disbelief! I was pretty certain that the nest had failed but how wrong I was!!!!!!
Then, my heart sank because I could see a clear water line well above the hole, how could that be, even if they had hatched eggs successfully how could they have survived a flood? But my hopes soared again when I later saw two birds and one with a fish, I couldn't be certain that it delivered the fish successfully but that is certainly what it seemed because I then saw a bird emerge from the nest without the fish! Watch this space as they say, it seems as though they are much more resilient than I thought.