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You are here: Home / Community / A Daily Visit by Royalty – and a Sumptuous Meal for a King

A Daily Visit by Royalty – and a Sumptuous Meal for a King

January 9, 2021 By Robbie Sprague 10 Comments

When I built the new Wykeham House in Hiltingbury I got the digger driver to dig out a large pond in the back garden, piling the spoil at one end in readiness to make a waterfall. This was the basis for our landscaping, planting and stocking once the lining and filtration system were in place. The day at last came when we flicked the switch and the water gushed and eddied down the waterfall. This comforting sound has stayed with us for the past fifteen years and it is a joy. When the water had cleared and the balance was right we stocked our pond with twenty golden rudd, some green tench, three black comets and three shubunkin – and the odd goldfish contributed by neighbours.

Herons
Heron-proofing the pond

Over the years, and thanks to the early morning visits from a hungry heron, we lost some fish – usually speared and left on the grass – so we had to find an ingenious way of heron-proofing the pond. At first, we didn’t mind the heron’s visits; seeing that majestic bird landing and taking off was exciting but he was greedy and cruel and had to be deterred. We strung fishing line across the pond and installed a water sprayer triggered by a motion sensor. So far, so effective………..

Every early summer there are a few days of frantic activity when the water froths like a cauldron and a month or so later a large shoal of small fry of mixed variety can be spotted and, over the years the fish population has multiplied alarmingly.

The pond is a watering-hole magnet for birds, insects and animals and a constant centre of interest. It hosts newts, damselfly and dragonfly larvae but, for some years now, frog spawn has been noticeably absent.

Kingfisher - taken in our garden in front of the rhododendron bush
Kingfisher – taken in our garden in front of the rhododendron bush

Suddenly, out of the blue, a kingfisher arrived one afternoon and started fishing. He stayed around for several days, clearly enjoying the abundant source of food. It must eat its own body weight of food each day so was very active – but we didn’t mind him eating us out of house and home – he is the king after all! We thought of it as being like a Tudor monarch on a Royal Progress from castle to castle, enjoying sumptuous banquets and feasts and not having to pick up the tab at the end of the day. A feast of hare, stag, stuffed chicken, veal pies, a second course of roe deer, pig and sturgeon, goslings, pigeons, rabbits, herons and a fat capon. Having depleted the host’s larder, the monarch would move on to the next castle for further indulgence.

Kingfisher by Mike Lane FRPS
Kingfisher by Mike Lane FRPS

Similarly with our kingfisher; he departed and we didn’t see him for several years until he came last November when we had just covered the pond with netting to keep the leaves off. He dived off a tall post at the edge of the pond and bounced back up as if on a trampoline. After two or three more attempts he decided it wasn’t worth the effort and departed in a huff.

Last Saturday we removed the netting and, lo and behold, at first light on Sunday morning, there he was diving and feeding with abandon. How did he know to come back? He must have kept our pond on his radar every day.

Kingfisher by Mike Lane FRPS
Kingfisher by Mike Lane FRPS

Kingfishers inhabit slow-moving shallow rivers or streams which are clean enough to support small fish. We think he must live on one of the many tributaries of Monk’s Brook or the river Itchen at Allbrook. Their territory will cover three to five kilometres and any nearby water that provides good fishing, which our pond clearly does, will be included.

Kingfisher by Mike Lane FRPS
Kingfisher by Mike Lane FRPS

We are in total lockdown and are happy to exist in our home and garden until we are jabbed. Since Sunday, we have been privileged with a visit every day, sometimes twice a day and yesterday there was an extraordinary occurrence:

Our kitchen window has become our lookout hide, 8 metres away from the pond. Yesterday morning, our male kingfisher was joined by his female partner. He had been fishing for a while, watching the water carefully to locate suitable prey and assess its depth, and, in the twinkling of an eye, diving off a post and flying off into a rhododendron bush to demolish his breakfast. When his partner arrived they sat for a while on an archway looking at each other and then he did an amazing thing: he hung upside down from the arch with his beak wide open allowing his partner to fly beneath him and extract fish from his gullet. He shared his meal with his mate. Many of us will remember when we were first courting sharing the same pudding in an act of bonding. Same principle, I think.

In the spring they will dig their nest tunnel in a riverbank – up to 90 centimetres long with a chamber at the end and a slight depression to prevent the eggs rolling out. Like all good partnerships, they work hard together.

He came back this morning and flew with gay abandon, diving into the pond from the top of a rhododendron bush at high speed and later splashing for ages on the waterfall to have a shower. He came back again this afternoon, sat on his favourite post, repeatedly dived in and caught a fish and took it into the same rhododendron bush as before.

Kingfisher by Mike Lane FRPS
Kingfisher by Mike Lane FRPS

Kingfishers prefer fish about 23millimetres in length but can handle fish up to 80 millimetres in length. This magnificent bird is doing us a favour reducing our fish stocks to a manageable and sustainable level. We wait, with great interest and anticipation from the warmth and comfort of our hide, to see what happens next.

We are, indeed, very fortunate and privileged to have nature unfolding in front of us.

NOTE: Kingfisher photographs, with kind permission of Mike Lane FRPS

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Tags: Chandler's Ford, Covid-19, family, Hiltingbury, lockdown, nature, storytelling

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Comments

  1. Allison Symes says

    January 9, 2021 at 5:12 pm

    Wonderful article and pictures. Would love to see a kingfisher. My neighbour a couple of doors down from me has done so so I must keep my eyes peeled!

    Reply
    • Robbie Sprague says

      January 9, 2021 at 5:45 pm

      Allison,

      When this bloody war is over – and if our friend hasn’t eaten us out of house and home and moved on to another castle, I’ll invite you round to try and see him on a fishing trip.
      Robbie

      Reply
      • Allison Symes says

        January 9, 2021 at 9:25 pm

        Thanks Robbie! Something to look forward to!

        Reply
  2. Roger Clark says

    January 9, 2021 at 5:14 pm

    Oh Mike how fabulous – just a beautiful bird to photograph. We have seen a couple on the Itchen but south and past the airport. Enjoyed reading your article.

    Reply
    • Robbie Sprague says

      January 9, 2021 at 5:35 pm

      Roger, the article is written by Robbie (Bob) Sprague. I still have your copy of Erebus to console me in the long days of isolation!
      Stay safe.

      Reply
  3. Deeyon66 says

    January 9, 2021 at 5:54 pm

    What a fabulous unfolding of a beautiful story. You very obviously keenly observe the daily doings at your watering hole and it’s rewarded you with stunning sights and photographs. They are stunning.

    The heron, like the fox has blood list and kill for fun. It sounds like you found a humane way to deal with him.

    I once saw a kingfisher as a child …. early 70’s maybe? There was a patch scrub land next to Winchester’s old North Walls police station. There is a river there so he obviously had his castle nearby. He was sunning himself on a branch. The scrub became tarmac years ago. It was a car park last I saw. Kept small by the river behind. Hopefully the species have continued to dwell there…

    Like Alison I too would love to see one again to enjoy those colours first hand!

    Keep safe while you twitter away from your comfy warm hide. Thank you for sharing. Made mgg TV day!

    Reply
    • Robbie Sprague says

      January 9, 2021 at 6:17 pm

      Hi Deeyon,
      I’m sure, with a bit of patience, you will find kingfishers at the Hockley Meadows Nature Reserve. Our daughter saw one in the North Walls area so they are on and around the River Itchen.
      Robbie

      Reply
  4. chippy minton says

    January 9, 2021 at 6:19 pm

    I’ve occasionally seen a kingfisher on the Itchen, but usually only a flash of turquoise as it flies by. Last summer I saw one on the stretch between Bishopstoke and Highbridge. Last weekend we saw one in Riverside Park, between Mansbridge and Woodmill. He (or she) had gathered quite a crowd, and stayed around the same few trees for quite a while – she (or he) was still there when we walked back 45 minutes later.

    Reply
    • Janet Williams says

      January 9, 2021 at 6:58 pm

      Did you see them (he or she!) during your ‘local’ walks then?

      Reply
      • Chippy says

        January 9, 2021 at 7:38 pm

        The one in the summer was when I was on a run. The Riverside Park was a local walk – or was then. I’m not sure it would count as ‘local’ under the new restrictions.

        Reply

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