Kingfisher: Looking at the weather and seeing that it was going to be a bright and milder day than yesterday, I decided to go see the famous Yarrow Kingy.
This bird is probably the most photographed Kingy in the county and I can totally understand why, the bird isn't shy.
The bird can be found at the back of the park between the two lakes in a little outlet, here the bird is sheltered, has plenty of fish to feed on and feels safe.
This bird was a male, as told by its all-black bill, females have a red patch on the base of their lower bill.
While there I heard some shocking stories of a well known local photographer setting up a fish pond beneath one of the birds perches and setting up a rigged automatic flash to capture the perfect image. This is *totally* unnecessary, could the flash disturb the bird? Could the bird injure itself on the glass frame of the tank? All good possibilities.
If you view from the footpath and don't enter the fenced area the bird will be fine. There are tons of dog walkers, children and other people passingby along with a dozen birders and photographers who were chatting, and not in a hushed tone, and the bird was fine.
It was pointed out that Kingfishers breed early in the season and are prone to disturbance and can even suffer in cold weather, more so than most other birds. So if you view from the path the bird will be fine. This is a well established viewing area of which all the locals and the park ranger all keep a close eye on.
