For as long as I can remember the pair of White-throated Kingfishers have nested along this stretch of the pond area over the years, defying the constant presence of human traffic. However I have seen nest built and abandoned too for obvious reasons.
When I came across this adult with a prey and not devouring it himself (it’s a male because the slightly smaller female could be seen perched up on a branch above close to the nest), I suspected that there could be a chick close-by, and true enough, he soon delivered it to the nest.
And I was thrilled to able to spot a dark beak trusting out at the nest entrance for the food!
Going by the size of the beak (and a little help from Google) it looked like this chick could well be over 14 days old (it has been reported that the white-throated kingfisher fledging takes between 20-23 days, and working backwards from the day I eventually sighted the new fledgling.)
A glimpse of the still fleshy looking forehead.
But a beak that's strong enough to thrust out and receive food.
It looked like the prey was perhaps too big for a single gulp as the tail of the prey hung momentarily over the parent's beak as if the lizard's body was being slowly pulled in by the chick.
As the nest area was a pretty open one, and without a hide, my presence was easily sensed going by the warning cries of the parent present, and the hesitance to approach the nest with food, I decided not to stake out at the nest but tried to return discreetly later.
This feeding was seen about two hours later.
The wriggly worm prey looked like a tricky one to dislodge as it curled round the parent's beak.
It eventually looked like the chick managed to pull it off the parent.
Four days later, I thought I was privy to the parent's strategy to try lure its young one out. Returning with a worm, this time the parent first teased with the food, then waited at the hole entrance dangling it.
And finally, success, as a more well-formed head appeared at the entrance to snatch the food.
And two days later, the nest area was absolutely quiet. I guessed that the chick has fledged so the search began, hoping that the fledgling was still around.
Hearing cries I rushed on in time to see an adult flying in, landed where another was waiting.
It looked like the parent was trying to knock the dragonfly off as it flipped the insect a couple of times before passing it to its young.
But it looked like the dragonfly was more than a mouthful for the young.
About 20mins later another feed but a much smaller one that was almost swallowed even before I knew it.
A succession of feeding within the next half hour comprising a lizard and a frog before the juvenile happily retired into the shade and it was all quiet and peaceful again at the pondside.
I supposed this frog feed was considered substantial enough to enable to last till the next feed.
A study in juvenile profile
This juvenile certainly proved to be a very skilful flier, even a diver too as it once plunged suddenly into the pond to my surprise.
Adult versus juvenile
The juvenile has white specks on its head, white eye-rings, darker bill with light-coloured tip, under-developed colour in upper feathers, under-developed tail and darker leg coloration.
All in all a beautifully formed bird indeed!
... after its parent.
