Lockdown Kingfishers
This third lockdown has really put a squeeze on the photographic opportunities. During the first lockdown the macro season was starting up, this meant there were insects and flowers springing all over the place. Orange Tip butterflies would be flittering past the house looking for Cuckoo flowers, solitary Bee’s would be feeding in the garden, Bee Flies would be basking in the sun along with the spiders and dragonflies.
As I look out of my office window, there’s a stiff wind, overcast skies and some flakes of snow just starting to fall. Winter, a far cry from those sunny spring days.
Now with the moaning out of the way, I must admit that it’s not all bad. I’m lucky enough to live near the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal, this man-made watercourse has provided the photographic opportunities that I’m always yearning for. The canal has provided the locals with the perfect place for their daily exercise and as a result, it has become very busy over the lockdowns. This is a blessing and a curse, on the one hand, the number of people present has meant that wildlife has become very used to seeing people, perfect for the photographers. On the other hand, the number of cyclists, dog walkers, canoeist, runners, families and photographers has led to a very crowded towpath, but on the whole, most people have been very patient with each other. As a photographer, I try to visit at the quieter times of day, its easier to photograph the birds with fewer people around.
Male Orange Tip on Cuckoo flower. This was taken near the house during the first lockdown.
One of the Female Kingfishers. The orange on the lower beak shows that this is a female.
The stars of the canal are undoubtedly the Kingfishers. When I’m walking along the canal almost every other walker stops to ask “have you seen the Kingfisher?” followed by either a useful recent sighting or asking where is best for them to look. It’s great to see that so many people are taking in what’s around them and appreciating the area that they live in. Before the lockdowns, it was rare to see anyone using the canal for just the purpose of getting outside but now it’s the norm.
At the start of January, there were at least four Kingfishers present along my section of the canal, now we are down to just two being seen regularly. The females set up the territories which they will fiercely defend, they usually tolerate the males within this territory but will slowly start to get more intolerant of outsiders as they pair up for the spring.
One of my initial concerns around photographing the kingfishers on the canal was that we would add to the amount of disturbance they have to deal with, after watching the birds for a few days it soon became apparent that they weren’t at all fazed by people. In some instances the birds would be above the towpath in a tree, people would walk below and the Kingfisher would still be very much focused on the water. They were catching fish regularly, right next to amazed onlookers and very happy photographers!
Once I was happy that my presence wasn’t going to detrimental, I set out to make the most of the brilliant opportunity. I’ll continue to visit these stunning birds during the lockdown and beyond.
