Success At Yarrow

Having seen the images of the Kingfisher at Yarrow Country Park on various sites I decided this was a visit I had to make. YCP is a new venue for me so an early rise on Sunday I arrived at 9.0 am, a quick reci I locating the site which the Kingfisher had favoured, mind you a chap with a camera and a big long lens did help!...first impression, I was amazed that a little channel like this could attract this bird on such a regular basis, so I set up the camera and waited. As you can imaging Sundays in a country park was mega busy, loads of people asking what i was photographing, probably why on this occasion I dipped

Monday morning, again arriving at around the same time....dipped again

Tuesday morning, arriving at 9.30 am, its raining a little....dipped again

Wednesday was a day I could easily have gone to an alternative location but I thought I'd give it one last chance before storm Doris makes an appearance rendering the rest of the week redundant. Arriving at the usual time I bump into the now familiar resident photographer stating the Kingfisher was seen minuets earlier...great, I made my way to the location setting up the camera, suddenly I heard a Kingfisher call and there it was sat on a low branch at the back of the channel, no more than 5 metres away !

For the next ten minuets the bird actively dived catching small fish finally making it to the best perch for photography, it was fill the memory card time until the bird eventually flighing to the top pond. For the next hour and a half the Kingfisher would return for up to ten minuets allowing a less frantic sessions

So after four visits, despite the very poor light and the light drizzle I finally succeed in capturing images of this famous Yarrow Kingfisher, at such a close distance you would not imagin, a unique location and a unique encounter.

Kingfisher