Tragedy on the Colne...

[peter crabtree]

During a work party on the Colne today one of our members made a grisly discovery..
This kingfisher was found dead, it’s neck trapped between the fork in a branch.
I’m guessing it must have unwittingly flown into it?

 

[rich66]

That’s life for you never know what’s around the corner!

We have them fly into our patio window occasionally, normally I manage to grab them before the cat. Leave them in a box for a few hours they seem fine.

 

[xenon]

If that's what happened i guess it's a very rare thing as all the kingfishers I have ever seen are superb flyers-Always gladdens the heart to see one, without fail.

 

[Aknib]

I'm sure someone will be along soon to pluck from its corpse and harvest the feathers to varnish into a float body.

Never really have understood that appeal, not withstanding the skill required to do it but there's only one place that feathers belong and that's on the bird, not a fishing float.

Hard to believe a bird with such characteristics ended up in such a mess, I wonder what third party circumstances led to its demise or whether or not it was just 'one of those things'?

 

[S-Kippy]

Very sad....but what beautiful birds they are. We used to live between two small rivers and the kingfishers were forever wizzing up and down and between the two. On more than one occasion there was a loud bang as one flew into the window. Fortunately on each occasion they came to no harm and flew off with only their dignity damaged.

 

[theartist]

Hard to believe a bird with such characteristics ended up in such a mess, I wonder what third party circumstances led to its demise or whether or not it was just 'one of those things'?

I was thinking that, the amount of times I've cast a float out and a Kinger has come from nowhere and missed it with ease and you think how did it do that?

 

[Mark Wintle]

I've had kingfishers fly very close when I've been fishing in the reeds and even had a reed warbler get tangled in the line between reel and first eye - easily distangled and released unharmed. Had a sparrowhawk fly into the window last month but flew off a bit shaken.

 

[mikench]

Very sad end for a truly beautiful bird and one of our most vividly coloured . I have had birds flying into windows mainly blue **** on their way to a couple of nest boxes on the side of the house. I thought it was because they saw a reflection of themselves in the glass but I'm not sure this really explains it.

 

[barbelboi]

Was that towards the weir end Simon - I always remember that area as the most active for kingfishers.....

 

[peter crabtree]

Don't know Jerry, I wasn't there..

 

[Peter Jacobs]

Regarding the feathers used by Andrew Field on his excellent floats the materials are sourced ethically . . . . . this is the note on his webpage:

"Andrew can inlay kingfisher and jay feathers on most balsa or cork bodied floats. They look absolutely incredible but due to the rarity, extra cost and time taken to apply and seal them under the varnish these floats are inevitably more expensive. Sourcing these feathers is also a huge job. For legal and ethical reasons Andrew would only use feathers from vintage fly tying kits or taken from Victorian or Edwardian glass cased birds."

Personally, I have no problem whatsoever in having bought them or in using them . . . . .

 

[no-one in particular]

I wonder what third party circumstances led to its demise or whether or not it was just 'one of those things'?

Maybe a sparrow hawk dived on it and made it jink a bit too sharp and was not aware it had fouled itself up in a tree. They tend to swoop and miss and just fly on.

 

[Jeff Woodhouse]

Problem is for a bird, windows reflect the sky so they think they're flying away from trouble. EVery year we have a small young blackbird break its neck and die, but one year I caught a blue tit that was just a bit unconscious. I held it upright in my hand for nearly twenty minutes before it flew off. It's being upright that helps them, on their side and they give up on life it seems.

 

[seth49]

Used to happen quite a lot here, as there’s a large window each side of the through lounge, since we put vertical blinds up, as well as curtains, they can’t see through the same, and they tend to avoid them.

Didn’t half make you jump when a pigeon hit at full speed, heck of a bang.

 

[john step]

A few winters ago whilst standing in the reeds on the Warping Drain the barn owls were flying up and down. One flew across to me and had legs outstretched to land on the rod I was holding. At the very last moment we eyeballed each other and off it went in panic. One of those precious moments.

 

[Pete Shears]

Being pursued by a sparrowhawk is possible,saw it happen one day on the local reservoir,the kingfisher dived into the water at the last second resulting in one puzzled sparrowhawk - it always amazes me how they fly the full length of the reservoir,some half mile or more, at a constant height above the water dambuster style.

 

[xenon]

Yes! My go to river at the moment is the Colne just before it enters the thames, how they bomb up and down barely inches from the surface and land on a branch like a sixpence is a worth a day out in anyone's book.

 

[john step]

As anglers we often take natures sightings for granted. A couple of times people have said to me they would like to see a kingfisher and have been surprised when I say they are not rare and that I see one almost every time I go fishing.

 

[no-one in particular]

A real comeback bird, they were nearly wiped out in the winters of the 60's when everything froze over for weeks, they couldn't feed. I have watched them come up the river dambuster style (apt description) and spot me and they leave the river, go behind me and rejoin it further down. they are quite shy birds and people just walking don't see them that often. I had one land on my rod once while I was hunkered down behind some reeds, seeing the colours close up like that was a treat.

 

[carpinbob]

Never known that to happen before, shame makes my day when I see the kingfisher when I’m out on the bank blanking.