From early courtship to their chicks' first flights, discover the secret life of the kingfisher.
Filming kingfishers
I've spent years watching kingfishers, but to film their lives up close I built an artificial lakeside bank with a bespoke kingfisher nest inside. From cameras hidden within, I could film their secret, underground world without disturbing them. The bank also incorporated a series of hides, with more than 10 filming hatches from which I was able to film the kingfishers' intimate courtship process and follow them as they flew to and from the nest - from this vantage point I also watched a robin pair after they decided to nest in a small hollow where I kept my audio equipment!
Cameras hidden inside their nest allowed me to film the entire process, from egg-laying, to chicks' first meals. As they grew the kingfisher chicks began to grow their feathers. These first emerge covered in steely-blue shafts known as pins that eventually shed allowing the beautiful electric blue feathers to unfurl. Possibly the most magical of all was watching these young birds' first flights. It was fascinating to see how the male teased its chicks with a fish, encouraging them to follow it out to the lake.
Powerful kingfisher instincts
Later, I spotted one young kingfisher break off a stick and practise tapping it onto the branch as if stunning a fish - this youngster had only out of the nest a matter of hours and already its instincts were kicking in. It was truly an amazing experience to follow the process as these kingfishers brought up their brood: from their early courtship to through to their chicks' first flights.
