Kingfisher

Jules Bell is in town so we teamed up today. With the weather as it is we decided we needed some colour to brighten things up and headed for the Kingfisher. After I found this bird on 18 Jan there was only interest from year listers until some very good pictures were published on Facebook after which it has become the new darling of the local photographers. I am surprised how popular it has been given the availability of the breeding pair last summer but the number of admirers seems to have made the birds less skittish and all the pictures make it clear that the with patience the bird can be watched very well.

When Jules and I arrived we saw it after only a few minutes as it flew over the river and landed low down on our side but out of view. We were unable to see it but heard it a few times over the course of over half an hour. A number of photographers standing on the other side of the river were blissfully unaware of its presence until it eventually finally flew up went for a fish. From our viewpoint it was all a bit distant but the bird then stayed nicely out in the open.

No white wingers to find in Oslo unfortunately.

My pictures of the Kingfisher are of the bird in nature sort.

no bird visible here (it was sat hidden from us along the shore to the left) 

eventually visible

my attempt at phonescoping

and here is a video showing feeding time at Østensjøvannet