Kingfisher Sequence

The young kingfishers are definitely improving in their fishing techniques - here one caught a fish (we heard the 'plop' but it was just hidden where it entered the water). 'He' brought the fish speared on the beak a low branch to bang it and then swallow it with some difficulty - definitely looks a little uncomfortable in subsequent frame. He then decided time for a wash which I could frame up before he returned to the higher branch and flew off.

Paxton Pits October

Ellie requested seeing a Kingfisher on her visit to Paxton Pits today - request fulfilled plus the bonus of two sitting together for a time (too far into the leaves and branches to capture on the camera) and one of them capturing a large fish which it banged on a branch (unfortunately behind a lot of foliage) before swallowing. We also managed several duck species and a Great Crested Grebe teaching its humbug youngster what to do with a fish after capturing it - not a very successful lesson so the adult ate the fish. Very cute Blue tit and flying Swan and Grey Heron completed the sightings.

Kingfisher

 Although the light wasn't great, I was pleased to have captured most of the sequence of this kingfisher catching and consuming a fish at Paxton yesterday.

What are the Kingfisher and Grebe Eating?

So delighted that Kingfishers are busy at Paxton diving right in front of one of the hides - we think they are young birds and certainly this bird didn't seem to know quite what to do with the ?water beetle it had caught. The adult Great Crested Grebe caught a very large Tench and took a long while to swallow it and did not look very comfortable with the fish in its crop. 

Paxton Pits Juveniles

Very much a nature diary entry as the heat haze yesterday afternoon made sharp distant images very difficult but what a wonderful 3 hours spent doing nothing but watching this year's youngsters  starting to learn their skills and showing visitors the delights of the reserve. I didn't see either of the two Kingfishers catch anything but they were very busy practising their dives while the Heron chicks were still squabbling and showing off inappropriately as teenagers do.  I only recorded six Cygnets but they were moving around a lot. The remaining Grebe chick was staying close to one parent while the other went off hunting and came back with a crayfish I think. The adult Heron was just trying to find something to feed those youngsters on or get them to leave the nest and do their own hunting. The Dunnock wins on the subtlety of its plumage.