The Plumage
The kingfisher male has an orange head and a bright blue body whereas the female instead of the bright blue on the body, they have an oily green effect. Despite their plumage, kingfishers are very unobtrusive as they sit in trees above a river, waiting for the right moment.
Diet
The kingfisher usually eats fish. The only thing is catching them. Luckily, kingfishers are experts at catching fish. Their method is to be patient. They sit on a branch above the water and slowly wait but when there is a flash of movement, the kingfisher zooms down into the water and catches the fish.
Habitat
As I’ve mentioned previously, kingfishers like to live near water. In summer and spring, they like to be inland by freshwater lakes and rivers whereas in the winter, kingfishers like to be near the sea.
My encounters
My first encounter with a kingfisher was at Dartington Hall Estate. The conditions were sunny and we sat down by the river to have lunch. Halfway through a bag of crisps, I noticed 2 birds flying past close to the bank. I quickly lifted up my binoculars and realised they were 2 kingfishers. My second encounter was quite incredible. When I was in a bird hide in Mallorca, I was watching a kingfisher sat on a post in the middle of the marsh and suddenly, he took flight but not in the direction you’re thinking. He flew straight at the hide and at the last minute, flew up and over. It was a breathtaking experience. My most recent encounter with a kingfisher was at Bradley ponds and you might remember this from my previous posts, a kingfisher flew past me and landed in the tree line. This one wasn’t much but it was still amazing.
The Bovey Birder 