Six stars for kingfisher hotel
13 August 2010
A new hotel, custom-built for kingfishers, has had its first breeding success within a year of opening its doors.
The ‘bird hotel’ has nearly 200 entrance holes leading to tailored nesting boxes. Two of the nest boxes are amongst the first in the country specifically designed for kingfishers, with others designed to entice sand martins.
It is the newest edition to a site, near Ely in Cambridgeshire, which has become a haven for breeding birds. Landowner, Professor Tony Martin, has transformed more than 25 hectares of arable land into wetland habitat, with the help of Natural England’s Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) scheme. The area is now a mosaic of wet grassland, reed beds, shallow pools of water and shingle islands.
Dr Nigel Russell, from Natural England, said: “While the first sand martins to move into the brand new complex are eagerly anticipated in the 2011 breeding season, a pair of kingfishers have already arrived and successfully raised a brood of six fabulous chicks, a colourful and charismatic addition to an already impressive assemblage of breeding wetland birds. The presence of breeding kingfishers is recognised as an indicator of high quality wetland habitat, so this first brood is great news for a site that was reverted to wetland just four years ago.”
Landowner and bird enthusiast, Prof. Martin said: “It is a privilege and thrill to host such iconic birds so soon after completion of the nesting colony. They appeared as if by magic within weeks - unmistakeable in their orange and shimmering blue plumage.”
The steep, exposed waterside banks in the fens naturally favoured by kingfishers are hard to come by. The snug boxes offer protection against predators and the availability of food on the doorstep, all part of the recipe for breeding success.
Prof. Martin, a biologist and licensed ringer with a special permit for monitoring this species, has provided each of the pictured young with a uniquely identifiable ring. The territorial nature of kingfishers mean the young soon separate to establish their own territories in the fens, so this identification is key to building up a picture of where these young birds disperse to.
Other iconic guests checking in to the wetland this year included 40 pairs of breeding avocet, as well as redshank, lapwing, snipe and oystercatcher. Black-tailed godwits, one of Britain’s rarest breeding birds, have also been spotted on site.
Dr Russell added: “Each year wetland birds, whose national populations are of concern to conservationists, are being successfully raised and ringed in impressive numbers at this small site. Ringing provides an insight into the fortunes of these young birds after they have dispersed from Pymoor. Other bird watchers have recorded Tony Martin’s ‘home-grown’ avocets at wetland sites across England and even on the continent.”
-ENDS-
About kingfishers:
As a fairly rare, easily disturbed bird, the kingfisher is afforded the highest degree of legal protection under the Schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
Kingfishers breed in their first year, and pair-formation usually starts in February.
They create small nests, only a little wider than themselves. The nest chambers protect them from predators and have a slight depression to prevent eggs rolling out. 2-3 broods are raised in quick succession, normally in the same nest.
The first 6-7 eggs are laid late in March or early in April. Both adults incubate the eggs, and the chicks hatch 19-21 days later.
Each chick can eat 12-18 fish a day, and they are fed in rotation once a chick is fed, it moves to the back of the nest to digest its meal, causing the others to move forward.
The chicks are normally ready to leave the nest when they are 24-25 days old, but if the fish supply is poor, they can take up to 37 days.
Once out of the nest, the young are fed for only four days before the adults drive them out of the territory and start the next brood.
About Natural England
Natural England is the government’s independent adviser on the natural environment. Established in 2006 our work is focused on enhancing England’s wildlife and landscapes and maximising the benefits they bring to the public.
- We establish and care for England’s main wildlife and geological sites, ensuring that over 4,000 National Nature Reserves and Sites of Special Scientific Interest are looked after and improved.
- We work to ensure that England’s landscapes are effectively protected, designating England’s National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Marine Conservation Zones, and advising widely on their conservation.
- We run Environmental Stewardship and other green farming schemes that deliver over £400 million a year to farmers and landowners, enabling them to enhance the natural environment across two thirds of England’s farmland.
- We fund, manage, and provide scientific expertise for hundreds of conservation projects each year, improving the prospects for thousands of England’s species and habitats.
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