It looks like the Kingfishers are giving us another interesting year here at Rye Meads!
Last year we had one pair on site based at the Kingfisher Hub, all looked good at the start of the year with a pair around from February. But in coming months we sadly lost two adult females and lastly the adult male, he managed to fledge a single brood between females and was in preparation for a second brood with another new female when he disappeared, leaving us without a male Kingfisher on territory at either bank.
This year we were expecting in February or March to see a new male move into territory at the Kingfisher Hub, maybe even a bit of competition between males. We had all our fingers and toes crossed for a second pair at the draper nest bank. However, February came and went with only sporadic sightings of a male Kingfisher at the Hub, Draper, and Gadwall hides. March continued in a similar vein, and we thought we were going to have a year with no Kingfishers.
However, on 25th March out of nowhere a pair of Kingfisher were seen at the Draper hide, the next day they were investigating the bank and by the 27th March the pair were mating. So out of nowhere we had an active pair and we all got very excited if a bit concerned as the visibility on this bank is not great. We were also a little confused as to why they would pick the Draper bank over the Kingfisher Hub bank which is right next to the river hence its often fought over, prime location. With still no sign at the Hub we decided to move the “requirements” to the Draper hide to ensure everyone got a chance to view this pair. The pair were active up to the end of the month but by the 4th April only the male was being seen but he did visit the nest bank and on the 8th April all that was reported was a fly by.
With the pair being so active so quickly we would have expected activity to continue as the male brought the female fish, examine the bank to pick a good burrow or dig a new one, and mating continuing until the female lays a full clutch (generally 6-7 eggs) laying 1 egg a day.
So, with this timeline it is possible that breeding has continued but because they are less visible, we may have missed the key indicators to identify what stage in the breeding cycle they are at. There is a chance they are currently incubating their first clutch, which is always a quiet time for activity with changeovers being quick and easy to miss from this vantage point. The pair share incubation duties but generally the female takes on longer shifts only leaving to feed herself. When the male is not incubating, he will hang around the bank more than the female to defend his territory and see off intruders, so that could explain why we are only seeing the male at the moment. Incubation takes 19-21 days so we will be keeping an eye on the bank from 19th April to see any sign of eggshell being removed or tiny fish going in, sure signs of hatching. Please do report your sightings at the visitor centre to help us keep track of the activity at the nest bank.
With all this activity happening at the Draper hide we have removed all restrictions from the Kingfisher Hub unless activity picks up there (keep an eye out on our social media for any updates). We have instated the usual requirements from the Kingfisher Hub at the Draper hide in case they are successful here. With the restricted views at the Draper hide of the nest bank, these requirements will be key in ensuring everyone enjoys all the wildlife at the Draper hide.