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16 January - Kingfisher, There Thou Art
Can you spot it? It is there, I assure you.
The common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) is one of those birds you rarely see for more than a fraction of a second, but there's never any mistaking what they are. That flash of bright blue is unlike anything else you'll see flying around that isn't an escaped parrot. But they're also secretive, paranoid, and twitchy. Much of that bright colouration isn't pigment per se, but iridescence, which means that when they're perched in a tangle of branches near the water, they're actually very hard to see.
Kingfishers aren't usual birds for this area, at least not till fairly recently. Their presence is an indicator of water quality, something the canals have been lacking since I was a kid but in recent years has been improving. At this obsolete branch of the canal the water moves slowly and is often full of small fish and dragonfly larvae. If it hasn't rained for half a day or so you can see how unusually clear it is, for a canal. Nevertheless it's a case of pure accident that led me to capture this kingfisher on film. About fifteen seconds later all I saw was a blur of blue whirring off into the trees.
Can you spot it? It is there, I assure you.
The common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) is one of those birds you rarely see for more than a fraction of a second, but there's never any mistaking what they are. That flash of bright blue is unlike anything else you'll see flying around that isn't an escaped parrot. But they're also secretive, paranoid, and twitchy. Much of that bright colouration isn't pigment per se, but iridescence, which means that when they're perched in a tangle of branches near the water, they're actually very hard to see.
Kingfishers aren't usual birds for this area, at least not till fairly recently. Their presence is an indicator of water quality, something the canals have been lacking since I was a kid but in recent years has been improving. At this obsolete branch of the canal the water moves slowly and is often full of small fish and dragonfly larvae. If it hasn't rained for half a day or so you can see how unusually clear it is, for a canal. Nevertheless it's a case of pure accident that led me to capture this kingfisher on film. About fifteen seconds later all I saw was a blur of blue whirring off into the trees.