Posted by Ian Mason on September 11, 2009 at 3:39 AM
I got a very pleasant surprise at the pond last night, when a kingfisher flew within three feet of me, squawked in horror then flew across the pond to land in reeds. He returned half an hour later. I could hear him in the reeds after that. Didn't get a shot. First time I've seen one in the area.
There are no perches other than the reeds, so I need to be creative. Does anyone have any tips about how to encourage it to come back? Do they prefer shade or open sun? Shallow or deep water? If it stays around, I'm going to have a lot of fun, so any advice and help would be greatly appreciated.
Posted by Andy Stunell on September 11, 2009 at 3:55 AM
Hi Ian im no expert on this but i think if you can place a perch in the pond and there is a sustainable source of fish there then the Kingfisher is likely to make a return, Some thing i am looking at is a blind at the spot my local KF frequents (not near the nest, just a perch) to try and get some better shots
best of luck and i hope you get some good results
Andy
Posted by Graham Goddard on September 11, 2009 at 7:58 AM
I've found with my local KF's that if you put in a perch, they will use it.
I will usually put one in and then leave it a week or so before I go back to camp out though so they get used to their new fishing post.
Posted by eric weight on September 11, 2009 at 8:35 AM
Hi Ian,
I am just in the process of getting my first serious kingfisher shots and some interesting things are starting to emerge.
My hide was already there because I set it up on the shallows for ducks and waders. Although there were KFs about they didn't use my part of the pit all that much because it was so shallow. Nevertheless, I set up a perch where it wouldn't be in the way and just left it. After about two months with no success, my mate suggested putting some cover at the bottom of it for the fish to hide under and after watching herons and dabchicks work among fallen trees in the margins, I made a witches broom of dead twigs and tied it to the bottom of the perch so that it hung in the water. Kingfishers were using the perch within a week. This may be coincidence, but I think perhaps not, as a lot of what they are taking appears to be insect larvae and shrimps as well as sticklebacks. All attracted to emerging vegetation and twigs. A refinement that I am considering is to float a board at the base of the perch to provide overhead cover for fish and a surface for emerging insects to use. I have even considering mounting one of those small automatic fish feeders on it that you use to feed the fish at home when you are on holiday to just tip a little groundbait in twice a day.
I think that this is a very good time of the year to photograph KF because the youngsters are grown up and there will probably be half a dozen on the water where there is usually only one or two. As the youngsters disperse, they will be looking for new food supplies and territories of their own so now is a good time to encourage them to stay.
I have also noticed that having dived into the water, they rarely stay long on the original post and prefer to fly back up to another nearby to fish undisturbed water (that may be because I am working over shallow water or there aren't many fish here yet). I now have three perches around my hide and they have stayed up to twenty minutes at a time just working from each perch in turn. So it may pay to put in two different ones within reach of your hide, but not too close together.
This may seem bizarre, but I was surprised to see how far they expelled their crap. Mark Green even posted a shot of one doing it last year and I wondered why, because they could easily just drop it straight below. I am convinced that they are groundbaiting the swim (stop laughing at the back). Most of the most successful angler's baits incorporate fish oils and fishmeal. I would imagine that their crap is pretty rich in such things and would attract small fish into the area. By expelling it a couple of feet they are drawing fish out to a position to which they can dive onto them whereas if they dropped it straight down, they couldn't easily get at them. My Kf s usually turn round on the perch immediately after dumping, why else but to see what is coming to the bait? It may seem that I have wandered away from the point and lost the plot, but it is my contention that once they are using your perches, then the area will gradually attract fish of its own and actually get to be a better one for photographing kingfishers.
Food for thought anyway and the nurse is here with my tablets now.
Eric
Posted by Barry Southon on September 11, 2009 at 9:07 AM
Ian
A very interesting topic wish you well with the results. Oh Eric keep taking the tablets they are working very interesting info
Posted by Ian Mason on September 11, 2009 at 9:48 AM
Thanks all. Very, very interesting stuff - I'll give it some thought and hopefully one day, I'll post an image!
Posted by Graham Goddard on September 11, 2009 at 10:53 AM
I would like to add to Eric's thoughts.
I have been observing my local KF's for about 3 years now. I walk my dog every day, and if they are about, I will see or hear them. In my experience, KF's are more vocal than you think, they just fly so fast that they are very easily missed.
I have found that the best time of year to get them on a perch is from around mid Feb through to end of March. That seems to be the mating season and they remain very local to their nest (in my situation, I know where the nest is sited, and I leave them alone for April/May/June) other than walking past on the footpath.
I have put in a new perch recently, and I've been camped out there for around 10 hours so far - at weekends as I don't have time during the week.
I am not familiar enough with the KF's to recognise the male or the female, but now that their young have moved on, their territory seems to have become much more wide ranging.
During the hours I've spent watching my perch, the KF have prob landed for a max of 5 minutes. It seems to be that now the courting is over, they are back to fishing the entirety of their territory. I hear them flying around me (which is on a stream rather than a pond/lake), but they don't appear to spend long periods in one spot.
My perch is right above a bend in the stream, and there are always fish present, so it's a tempting location.
Even though I'm close, I know I'm not spooking them. Last week, I had a wood pidgeon on the perch that sat for quite a while and didn't notice me at all - normally they will avoid the slightest thing.
I'll be back at my spot tomorrow for 4 hours - so further report to follow.
I was working on Kingfishers yesterday. A week ago I set up a perch along the little river they use. Yesterday I also took a stick with me and made another perch at the bend in the stream where I could see fry and larger fish resting.
As mentioned, these birds are really quite noisy and I found that they gave me an early warning about their approach. They are very fast but a lot easier to see and even photograph than most people think.
For most of the day I stayed at the new perch but I returned to the perch from a week ago (only about 30 metres up stream but with differing surroundings) when the sun moved round and within about an hour I heard a bird coming. I wasn't terribly camouflaged and I was shooting with a 400mm lens but it stopped on the perch, had a good look around for a couple of minutes and then moved off. The results weren't frame-filling but that's something to work on and for a day's work I was chuffed. Seemed undisturbed by my presence and the shutter noise.
Best of all, I was shaking with excitement when it left.
Graham, female KFs have an orange underside to their beak whereas the male's beak is all black. I think that's the right way round.
It doesn't take too much to attract them, they enjoy new perches. You've just got to make sure you're there!
Discussion
7 repliesThere are no perches other than the reeds, so I need to be creative. Does anyone have any tips about how to encourage it to come back? Do they prefer shade or open sun? Shallow or deep water? If it stays around, I'm going to have a lot of fun, so any advice and help would be greatly appreciated.
best of luck and i hope you get some good results
Andy
I will usually put one in and then leave it a week or so before I go back to camp out though so they get used to their new fishing post.
I am just in the process of getting my first serious kingfisher shots and some interesting things are starting to emerge.
My hide was already there because I set it up on the shallows for ducks and waders. Although there were KFs about they didn't use my part of the pit all that much because it was so shallow. Nevertheless, I set up a perch where it wouldn't be in the way and just left it. After about two months with no success, my mate suggested putting some cover at the bottom of it for the fish to hide under and after watching herons and dabchicks work among fallen trees in the margins, I made a witches broom of dead twigs and tied it to the bottom of the perch so that it hung in the water. Kingfishers were using the perch within a week. This may be coincidence, but I think perhaps not, as a lot of what they are taking appears to be insect larvae and shrimps as well as sticklebacks. All attracted to emerging vegetation and twigs. A refinement that I am considering is to float a board at the base of the perch to provide overhead cover for fish and a surface for emerging insects to use. I have even considering mounting one of those small automatic fish feeders on it that you use to feed the fish at home when you are on holiday to just tip a little groundbait in twice a day.
I think that this is a very good time of the year to photograph KF because the youngsters are grown up and there will probably be half a dozen on the water where there is usually only one or two. As the youngsters disperse, they will be looking for new food supplies and territories of their own so now is a good time to encourage them to stay.
I have also noticed that having dived into the water, they rarely stay long on the original post and prefer to fly back up to another nearby to fish undisturbed water (that may be because I am working over shallow water or there aren't many fish here yet). I now have three perches around my hide and they have stayed up to twenty minutes at a time just working from each perch in turn. So it may pay to put in two different ones within reach of your hide, but not too close together.
This may seem bizarre, but I was surprised to see how far they expelled their crap. Mark Green even posted a shot of one doing it last year and I wondered why, because they could easily just drop it straight below. I am convinced that they are groundbaiting the swim (stop laughing at the back). Most of the most successful angler's baits incorporate fish oils and fishmeal. I would imagine that their crap is pretty rich in such things and would attract small fish into the area. By expelling it a couple of feet they are drawing fish out to a position to which they can dive onto them whereas if they dropped it straight down, they couldn't easily get at them. My Kf s usually turn round on the perch immediately after dumping, why else but to see what is coming to the bait? It may seem that I have wandered away from the point and lost the plot, but it is my contention that once they are using your perches, then the area will gradually attract fish of its own and actually get to be a better one for photographing kingfishers.
Food for thought anyway and the nurse is here with my tablets now.
A very interesting topic wish you well with the results. Oh Eric keep taking the tablets they are working very interesting info
I have been observing my local KF's for about 3 years now. I walk my dog every day, and if they are about, I will see or hear them. In my experience, KF's are more vocal than you think, they just fly so fast that they are very easily missed.
I have found that the best time of year to get them on a perch is from around mid Feb through to end of March. That seems to be the mating season and they remain very local to their nest (in my situation, I know where the nest is sited, and I leave them alone for April/May/June) other than walking past on the footpath.
I have put in a new perch recently, and I've been camped out there for around 10 hours so far - at weekends as I don't have time during the week.
I am not familiar enough with the KF's to recognise the male or the female, but now that their young have moved on, their territory seems to have become much more wide ranging.
During the hours I've spent watching my perch, the KF have prob landed for a max of 5 minutes. It seems to be that now the courting is over, they are back to fishing the entirety of their territory. I hear them flying around me (which is on a stream rather than a pond/lake), but they don't appear to spend long periods in one spot.
My perch is right above a bend in the stream, and there are always fish present, so it's a tempting location.
Even though I'm close, I know I'm not spooking them. Last week, I had a wood pidgeon on the perch that sat for quite a while and didn't notice me at all - normally they will avoid the slightest thing.
I'll be back at my spot tomorrow for 4 hours - so further report to follow.
I was working on Kingfishers yesterday. A week ago I set up a perch along the little river they use. Yesterday I also took a stick with me and made another perch at the bend in the stream where I could see fry and larger fish resting.
As mentioned, these birds are really quite noisy and I found that they gave me an early warning about their approach. They are very fast but a lot easier to see and even photograph than most people think.
For most of the day I stayed at the new perch but I returned to the perch from a week ago (only about 30 metres up stream but with differing surroundings) when the sun moved round and within about an hour I heard a bird coming. I wasn't terribly camouflaged and I was shooting with a 400mm lens but it stopped on the perch, had a good look around for a couple of minutes and then moved off. The results weren't frame-filling but that's something to work on and for a day's work I was chuffed. Seemed undisturbed by my presence and the shutter noise.
Best of all, I was shaking with excitement when it left.
Graham, female KFs have an orange underside to their beak whereas the male's beak is all black. I think that's the right way round.
It doesn't take too much to attract them, they enjoy new perches. You've just got to make sure you're there!