Kingfisher groups and nesting banks

Tuesday 26 February 2019, 15:30 by Harry Kiewiet | 5,223 views | 0 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

Ik ga voor Photofacts een aantal artikelen wijden aan het fotograferen van ijsvogels met daarbij voorbeelden van foto's van thekingfisher.eu en wil daarbij ook mijn unieke foto's publiceren die niet op de site staan.

Ik ben sinds 2016 hobby fotograaf en heb een plaatselijke cursus gevolgd van drie dagen. De meeste info verkrijg ik echter door onder andere Photofacts, Zoom, Natuurfotografie.nl en het bekijken van een aantal bekende vogelfotografen-sites.

Daarnaast probeer ik bevriend te raken met vogelfotografen op Facebook. Daar pak ik leermomenten uit en ik probeer ze dan in de praktijk tot uitvoering te brengen.

The Blue Flash, the main character and starting point for making a nesting bank
The kingfisher photo above was taken with the settings 1/5000, f/4, ISO 3200 from a distance of 6 metres with a 600mm lens.

Coordinator of kingfisher and bird groups

I am coordinator of the kingfisher group "Het Stroomdal" and a member of the meadow bird group of nature and environmental organisation Het Stroomdal. The kingfisher group has kingfisher nesting banks at eight locations, and I built 95 per cent of these banks myself.

I spend every free hour creating suitable locations and maintaining them after the breeding season. I carry on with this until early April. Besides making kingfisher nesting banks, I also photograph kingfishers at one of the locations.

I do this from a hide I made myself or a hide tent, which means I am invisible to the birds. Over the years, I have come to know the kingfisher's way of life in all its aspects and have recorded it. I have unique photos that are not on my site. Nobody has photos like these.

Equipment

I work with a Canon 5D mark IV and a 600mm mark II lens, tripod and remote control. I photograph from six metres away, where the kingfisher sits on the perch.

Examples of kingfisher nesting banks

This article contains some examples of kingfisher nesting banks made by the kingfisher group of nature and environmental organisation Het Stroomdal.

Before a bank is built, you need to consult the land manager, see the image. Kingfisher nesting banks can be made or maintained after the breeding season, from October to early April.

Kingfishers find it difficult to find suitable nesting places, and we can give them a helping hand. The advantage is that you get a VIP room when you want to take a great photo.

You are also doing useful work by protecting this beautiful bird. Tip: join a kingfisher group and give first before you receive anything.

Making kingfisher nesting banks, what do you need?

The most important thing is a spade and plenty of enthusiasm to get started. Not everything is essential, but it is useful to have it.

Materials, tools and signs, nest box top and bottom
A nest box is not always necessary. The kingfisher will find a nesting tunnel itself, which takes the pair more than a week. And if you make a bank, it is useful to have a kingfisher nearby.

A kingfisher nesting bank with tree trunks to hold the sand together

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