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Wednesday, 23 September 2009

Indoor Meeting - The Kingfisher by David Boag

This lecture was originally put together over 25 years ago when David Boag's book on the kingfisher was first published. Listening to the re-vamped version, one could only marvel at the behaviour of this spectacular little bird - and it is little because, contrary to popular perception, it really is not much bigger than a house sparrow. And the same species which brightens up our lakes and rivers can be found as far afield as Japan. Another misconception concerns its speed of flight. The flash of electric blue as it flies across the water may give an impression of speed but several factors contribute to this belief: kingfishers fly in a straight line; they fly low over the water; they fly further than many birds when disturbed; and their brilliant colour itself adds to the feeling that it is a fast-moving bird.
After covering such generalities, the main part of the talk was concerned with the life history of the kingfisher: its aggressive territorial display; its charming courtship ritual when the male bird presents the female with a fish head-on (for kingfishers always swallow fish whole and head first); mating; the incubation of the eggs; and the growth of the chicks. We learnt about the development of the feathers (initially covered in sheaths which act as protection against abrasion underground) and the perils associated with the first flight, at which time the young birds are very vulnerable. The second half of the presentation concerned day-to-day activities such as preening, diving and catching fish (they aim for a particular one; it is not just a random chase through the water).
I suspect that most people in the audience were entranced by the stunning colour photographs - but David pointed out that life is not always rosy for kingfishers because they are very susceptible to environmental changes. The rivers and lakes frequented by this amazing little bird are actually fraught with danger: flooding, drying out, pollution and frost can make these places quite inhospitable, resulting in many kingfishers being lost. At other times, of course, they will do well. David called it a roller coaster of a life. But what a life!

Brian Shreeve