Surrey Wildlife Trust - Return of the King

Tennyson described the kingfisher as ‘the secret splendour of the brooks’, and nowadays, although television has made this exotic-looking bird familiar to millions in their sitting rooms, it is surprising how few people have ever seen one – even those that regularly visit a waterway.

Often, when the bird is pointed out, the first response is: ‘I thought it was going to be bigger than that!’ Perhaps the close-up images on our screens – its relatively large bill and bright colours – lead us to believe that we ought to be looking out for a pigeon-sized creature. But, in reality, although the bird is colourful, it is only a couple of centimetres larger than a sparrow.

With its small size and its habit of perching motionless when eyeing prey, the bird can be very elusive to the casual observer: the first sighting is often only a blue flash, zipping low over the water and away. However, kingfishers are territorial birds, even in the winter, and once seen in a particular locality, subsequent (quiet) visits, preferably with binoculars, should be more successful. The bird also has a distinctive call (a piping whistle) that is often used when in flight: learn this and you’ve cracked it.

On a wing and a prayer...

The kingfisher is not common in Britain – current estimates put the population at about 4,400 breeding pairs – the south of the country is probably its stronghold and fortunately, at present, Surrey has a healthy population.
The reason for this scarcity can probably be explained by its specialist habitat requirements – particularly when breeding. The bird nests almost exclusively in tall, vertical earth banks alongside waterways, excavating a hole 50cm to 1.5m deep. Unfortunately, banks such as these are relatively rare and not all waterways have them.

Indeed, on the Basingstoke Canal, a waterway I know very well, kingfishers are common during the late summer, autumn and winter (probably one bird to every mile or so on the Surrey stretch). As February ends, however, the birds start to leave their winter territories because, despite good fishing, there are few, if any, decent nesting sites.
Competition for breeding sites is often fierce and although there are records of pairs nesting close to one another, these are rare and territories are usually well spaced. Pairs that are successful in claiming a site often breed prodigiously and during the protracted nesting season (March to August) can produce from seven to 12 young or more in two or three broods.

Cold, hard winters kill many birds, because ice effectively locks away their main food supply – small fish under 10cm long. But such conditions are not frequent any more and prospects for the kingfisher look good. Control of pollution and sympathetic drainage systems in recent years have also benefitted the bird.

The 1999-2000 Wetland Bird Survey count was the largest ever recorded, and, provided we continue to manage our waterways with wildlife in mind, there is every reason to remain optimistic for this and other wetland species in the future.

For your information

Surrey Wildlife Trust, School Lane, Pirbright, Woking, GU24 0JN.
Tel: 01483 795440
Website: www.surreywildlifetrust.org  
Email: info@surreywt.org.uk 

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