Kingfisher vote of approval

A blur of electric blue is all that we normally see of a kingfisher, and even this is a rare encounter for most of us, but one of these delightful creatures gave Cliff Carson a very pleasant surprise when he downloaded one of the cameras he employs to monitor mink raft activity. The camera was fixed to the end of a wooden stake, and the kingfisher used the stake as a bathing perch, inadvertently activating the camera in the process. Cliff, a former RSPB warden and an encyclopaedia of knowledge about kingfishers in the Fens, says that he thinks the bird has a nest nearby and took the opportunity for a wash and brush up. Those familiar with kingfisher nest burrows (they’re astonishingly smelly and dirty due to the fishy diet) will understand why a quick bath would be an attractive proposition.