Martin's Bird Blog & Nature Photos

Tag: Kingfisher

  • 16th October 2025 – Fuseta, Portugal

    16th October 2025 – Fuseta, Portugal

    Today we have been exploring the salt pans of Fuseta from where we have had some glorious views of the birdlife and the scenery of this part of Portugal. We stopped off at a small café/restaurant on the far side of the pans and extended our stay to include lunch – all of which was incredibly good value.

    Salt pans of Fuseta

    Salt pans of Fuseta

    Greater flamingo

    Greater flamingos

    Greater flamingos coming in to land

    Greater flamingo seemingly walking on water

    Amazing views of gulls too

    Black-winged stilts and a ruddy turnstone

    I can’t work this one out. Yellow legs and (apparently) slim bill. Maybe a common gull? (Over to you Michael).

    More gulls and the church at Fuseta in the background

    The walk back seemed further but we had a good stop as, incredibly, we bumped in to two men on bikes on the long distance cycle track through the Algarve who I used to teach as boys nearly 50 years ago back in Bristol in the UK. I am always amazed that such encounters ever happen.

    The long distance cycle track through The Algarve

    We were quite happy to encounter a few spoonbills too, but I had to take the photos through a net as they were on private property. Manual focus helped somewhat.

    Eurasian spoonbills

    Eurasian spoonbill

    More views of the salt pans and salt mountain – there must be other ingredients too with all those gulls!

    Pied avocets
    Carline thistles, I believe

    Back at base we had a relaxing time where I managed a few of the birds I was hoping to see.

    Sardinian warbler had escaped me until now

    Common ringed plover in flight

    The one bird I was keen to photograph – the common kingfisher (sort of my signature bird – Martin Pêcheur in French)

    Common kingfisher

    Common kingfisher

    Still in my viewfinder

    Can you spot it here? I’ll give you a clue – bottom left.

    Pied avocets settling down for the night

    However the greater flamingos were still quite frisky

  • 1st October 2025 – Stoke Park Estate, Bristol

    1st October 2025 – Stoke Park Estate, Bristol

    Following a day of (photographing) art galleries, monuments and churches in Bristol it was back to the birds this morning in Stoke Park.

    Within a few minutes of arriving I was treated to a grey heron flying right in front of me and then a kingfisher posing nicely on the edge of the pond.

    Grey heron

    Grey heron

    Grey heron

    Grey heron landing in its favourite spot on the annex pond
    Kingfisher

    Kingfisher

    Kingfisher

    Kingfisher spreading a wing

    Kingfisher in flight

    Kingfisher in flight

    Kingfisher in flight

    The kingfisher seemed to follow me around Duchess Pond and I had shots of it in lots of different locations but none as good as its original perch.

    Kingfisher in a different venue

    There were lots of corvids around and I even got sight of a sparrow hawk and a buzzard being mobbed by them.

    Common buzzard being mobbed

    Just before setting off home I saw a male and female stonechat but only managed a photo of the female.

    Female stonechat

    I couldn’t resist another photo of the Dower House with its reflection in Duchess Pond

    Moorhens are good for reflections too

  • 18th May 2025 – Eastville Park, Bristol

    18th May 2025 – Eastville Park, Bristol

    We saw our first mute swan cygnets on our Sunday morning walk around Eastville Park. There were goslings, ducklings and moorhen and coot chicks everywhere. However, our walk was really enlivened by the late appearance of a kingfisher which announced itself very noisily (as they do) so that we couldn’t miss it.

    Cygnets

    Mute swans and cygnets

    Canada geese and goslings

    Canada geese and goslings

    Very strangely – a pink-footed goose

    Kingfisher
    Kingfisher

    Kingfisher

    Speckled wood butterfly

  • 26th March 2025 – Eastville Park, Bristol

    26th March 2025 – Eastville Park, Bristol

    Lovely bright colours in the park this morning on our morning stroll with our first peacock butterfly of the season and the (very) common kingfisher..

    Peacock butterfly

    Common kingfisher

    Common kingfisher

    Common kingfisher
  • 21st March 2025 – Eastville Park, Bristol

    21st March 2025 – Eastville Park, Bristol

    There wasn’t much about in the park today, but who’s complaining?

    Grey heron

    Kingfisher

    Kingfisher

    Kingfisher
    Kingfisher

    Kingfisher

    Kingfisher

    Kingfisher

    Kingfisher

    Kingfisher … and away …

    Grey heron

  • 16th March 2025 – Eastville Park, Bristol

    16th March 2025 – Eastville Park, Bristol

    Kingfisher

    And who says that birds in the UK are only LBJs (little brown jobs)?

    Kingfisher

    It’s definitely a good time of the year to see kingfishers and robins in our local park. This morning the sun shone brightly but it was still very cold. No reason to complain though with these bright little birds to lift your spirits, as they always do.

    Robin

    Robin

    Kingfisher

    Kingfisher

    Kingfisher

    Kingfisher

    And then its was Sunday brunch time.

  • 11th March 2025 – Eastville Park, Bristol

    11th March 2025 – Eastville Park, Bristol

    Kingfisher in the gloom

    The kingfisher was very obliging again this morning as we walked around the park. Unfortunately, the sun was not so obliging.

    Male kingfisher

    Kingfisher on a rusty chair frame

    Slightly different pose

    Rear view

    Back in the gloom

    The one oddity was a pink footed goose at the lake!

  • 9th March 2025 – Eastville Park, Bristol

    9th March 2025 – Eastville Park, Bristol

    We had an enjoyable gentle Sunday morning stroll around our local park in the sunshine chatting to new and old acquaintances.

    We were well rewarded with a fleeting visit of a male kingfisher who stayed only long enough for me to take 3 frames (although everyone told us that the male and female had been around for ages. I also missed a treecreeper that everyone else seemed to have seen.

    Male kingfisher

    I think robins are about my spotting ability and there were plenty of those to choose from.

    Robin – one of half a dozen we saw

    I like this pose

    Same robin as above
    They do like to show off

    Around the lake there were lots of cormorants. The mind boggles to think that they eat 30 times their body weight of fish in a day. That doesn’t bode well for the fish in the lake, although there always seem to be plenty there.

    Cormorants above the lake

    Canada goose on the lake

  • 10th November 2024 – Eastville Park, Bristol

    10th November 2024 – Eastville Park, Bristol

    There were the first glimpses of the sun for over a week as we started our walk around the park this morning. However, it was only a teaser and it didn’t last long. We are promised better tomorrow.

    No sun maybe, but there were flashes of brightness throughout our walk as we had several sightings of the magnificent kingfisher. Firstly, we saw one flying along the River Frome west to east, and then two together flying from east to west. Then closer to the park there was one perching and posing.

    Kingfisher

    Kingfisher

    Kingfisher

    … and away.

    There was a newcomer to the lake as a northern shoveler seems to have taken up residence.

    Northern shoveler

    Northern shoveler

    However there are always plenty of gulls resident and today we saw lesser black-backed and black-headed.

    Lesser black-backed gull

    Black-headed gull

    There always seem to be plenty of cormorants at the lake. The fish stocks must be pretty low by now.

    Cormorant

    Cormorant drying its wings ready for take off

    The tawny owl was visible ut not so easy to see today

    Other birds were available …

    Carrion crow

    No sunshine but the colours of the magpie were still apparent

  • 29th October 2024 – Eastville Park, Bristol

    29th October 2024 – Eastville Park, Bristol

    A stroll around our local park was well rewarded this morning with a tawny owl, a dipper and a kingfisher on a post. I think I ought to do the lottery today!

    Tawny owl

    Dipper

    Dipper

    Kingfisher

    Kingfisher

    Kingfisher

    Kingfisher

    Kingfisher

    Kingfisher