The family of kingfishers near Fairburn Ings /
Picture: OLIVER C WRIGHT
By Stuart Winter
TO see one kingfisher is always a joy and to see two together makes a day to remember.
Few birdwatchers ever get to see three of these dazzling river birds all in one binocular view but four in a row...
It is little wonder conservationists at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds were cock-a hoop when this beautiful photograph dropped on the desk last week.
The idyllic riverside scene shows three young birds learning how to become the ultimate anglers close to the RSPB Fairburn Ings reserve near Castleford, West Yorkshire.
While the somewhat diffident father has his back to the camera, his three offspring – they can be identified by the pale tips to their spear-like bills – were more than happy to strike a pose for photographer Oliver C Wright.
Oliver was able to get his family portrait after the RSPB’s clever idea to allow the public to bask in the beautiful metallic blues and fiery oranges of the kingfi shers’ finery while ensuring the legally protected birds were not disturbed.
A screen with strategic apertures was put up alongside a waterway that skirts the reserve so wildlife lovers could enjoy the rare sight of the young kingfi shers being taught some of nature’s most spectacular hunting techniques, while the birds remained oblivious to the attention.
Laura Bentley, RSPB Fairburn Ings visitor experience manager, said: “Most people would be lucky to see one kingfisher in their lifetime, let alone four all together.
“In the winter the lakes and ponds were frozen solid for months so we were worried for our kingfishers not being able to get enough food, but seeing a whole, healthy-looking family is a great sign.”
Kingfishers are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act and have been “amber listed” as birds with an unfavourable conservation status in Europe, having suffered declines in breeding population over the past 25 years.
The latest research from the UK’s Breeding Bird Survey shows they have been enjoying a small success over the last decade – numbers up by more than seven per cent between 1995 and 2009 – but the worst winter in 30 years followed by one of the driest springs could have serious impacts this year.
Taking a look at a graph drawn up by the British Trust for Ornithology’s excellent BirdTrack recording system makes worrying viewing.
This year’s line falls menacingly below previous years’ sightings and may mean scenes as witnessed at Fairburn Ings are going to be even rarer this summer.
Kingfishers are among the most sedentary of birds and even in the coldest of winters have been seen to move only relatively short distances from their home fishing grounds.
Indeed, in 100 years of ringing by the BTO, there have been only 15 foreign movements recorded, with eight birds ringed abroad arriving in the UK and seven of our birds turning up overseas.
This means ensuring waterways are kept clean and pollution free is vital if our most beautiful native bird is to continue to brighten up the countryside with its brilliant electric blue colour scheme in years to come.
It is little wonder conservationists at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds were cock-a hoop when this beautiful photograph dropped on the desk last week.
The idyllic riverside scene shows three young birds learning how to become the ultimate anglers close to the RSPB Fairburn Ings reserve near Castleford, West Yorkshire.
While the somewhat diffident father has his back to the camera, his three offspring – they can be identified by the pale tips to their spear-like bills – were more than happy to strike a pose for photographer Oliver C Wright.
Oliver was able to get his family portrait after the RSPB’s clever idea to allow the public to bask in the beautiful metallic blues and fiery oranges of the kingfi shers’ finery while ensuring the legally protected birds were not disturbed.
A screen with strategic apertures was put up alongside a waterway that skirts the reserve so wildlife lovers could enjoy the rare sight of the young kingfi shers being taught some of nature’s most spectacular hunting techniques, while the birds remained oblivious to the attention.
Laura Bentley, RSPB Fairburn Ings visitor experience manager, said: “Most people would be lucky to see one kingfisher in their lifetime, let alone four all together.
“In the winter the lakes and ponds were frozen solid for months so we were worried for our kingfishers not being able to get enough food, but seeing a whole, healthy-looking family is a great sign.”
Kingfishers are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act and have been “amber listed” as birds with an unfavourable conservation status in Europe, having suffered declines in breeding population over the past 25 years.
The latest research from the UK’s Breeding Bird Survey shows they have been enjoying a small success over the last decade – numbers up by more than seven per cent between 1995 and 2009 – but the worst winter in 30 years followed by one of the driest springs could have serious impacts this year.
Taking a look at a graph drawn up by the British Trust for Ornithology’s excellent BirdTrack recording system makes worrying viewing.
This year’s line falls menacingly below previous years’ sightings and may mean scenes as witnessed at Fairburn Ings are going to be even rarer this summer.
Kingfishers are among the most sedentary of birds and even in the coldest of winters have been seen to move only relatively short distances from their home fishing grounds.
Indeed, in 100 years of ringing by the BTO, there have been only 15 foreign movements recorded, with eight birds ringed abroad arriving in the UK and seven of our birds turning up overseas.
This means ensuring waterways are kept clean and pollution free is vital if our most beautiful native bird is to continue to brighten up the countryside with its brilliant electric blue colour scheme in years to come.
