KINGFISHER
You may think it strange that I have included the kingfisher in the seabird section, but the only times I have seen them in the Mediterranean, has been by the sea. I guess a lot of their rivers and ponds dry up during the hot summers and force them to forage on the coast. A small but stunning bird with orange underparts and mainly blue upperparts. An electric blue back and bright red feet and legs. Its cheeks are chestnut and white, with the male having an all-black bill and the female having a reddish base to her lower beak.
They like to use an overhanging branch as a perch, but I have seen them using rocks, close to the water’s edge. They plunge headlong into the water to catch fish and will sometimes bash them on something hard, before swallowing them headfirst. They nest in holes 1m long, excavated in waterside banks. The kingfishers I have seen have been very nervy and difficult to get close to. There are no hides here! So unfortunately, my photos are from a long way off and so consequently heavily cropped.
