The Kingfisher Hide at the reserve produced some memorable views of Kingfishers fishing, perching and returning to the nest hole to feed their young. It was all quite magical.
The bird pictured left is a male as it has a black beak. Kingfishers are uncommon birds with only about 5000 - 8000 breeding pairs in the UK, due largely to the shortage of suitable habitat and their fiercely territorial nature.
We were surprised that they are only a little larger than a house sparrow. The Kingfisher's incredible iridescent blue colour is due to the reflection and refraction of blue light from its feathers, rather than from pigments.
Kingfishers eat mainly small fish (typically sticklebacks and minnows) but they can also take small aquatic animals and insects to supplement their diet.
2 to 3 broods are raised each year, and the Kingfishers at Rye Meads are currently raising their second brood. Multiple broods are very important as Kingfishers frequently only live a year or two. They are very susceptible to sever weather and to make matters worse the survival rate of young Kingfishers is only 25%. The adults tend to chase the young birds out of the territory soon after fledging, often before they have learnt how to fish!
