BCWildlife May 2020Blending in with
thescenery
How Robert went about constructing
a riverbank and nest chamber.
THE OBJECTIVE
Kingfishers dig a long, sloping tunnel
through soil with their sharp beaks then
excavate a globe-shaped chamber where
the female lays her eggs. Robert wanted
to replicate this by turning a shed into an
artificial riverbank, with a kingfisher nest
hidden within it.
STEP 1
Inside the 1m-long nestbox, a nest
chamber was created from a mould
of a balloon covered in papier-mâché.
This was connected to a tunnel created
from a mould made from a 5cm-wide
plastic drainpipe.
STEP 2
The void surrounding the nesting chamber
was filled with cement, sand and peat, to
make it seem as natural as possible.
STEP 3
The shed was covered with the same
materials. The wall of the shed was made
to slope outwards and curve at the top,
to mimic the overhang of a natural bank,
which prevents predators from entering.
sways fitfully towards the fish. By some
magic it manages to align its gaping mouth
with the minnow and swallows it whole.
All seven eggs successfully hatch and
the adults work tirelessly to provide food
for their fast-growing and increasingly
mobile young. I enjoy watching the adults’
brooding and smile at the writhing pink
chaos of limbs poking out from under their
feathers. On occasion, the parents’ short
legs lose touch with the floor and they are
transported around the nest chamber
like crowd-surfers.
Most nights, both adults roost in
the nest with their chicks beneath
them, their long beaks resting
along one another’s backs. But
tragedy strikes when a cold front lasting
three long days sweeps in, with torrential
rain and freezing temperatures. In spite of
their best efforts to keep their large brood
warm, I’m sad to discover on my next visit
that three chicks have perished.
The weather improves and the female
appears intent on courting again, despiteher chicks being just 12 days old. This is
quite normal kingfisher behaviour, but the
male still takes a bit of convincing. Soon,
I spot grains of soil on their beaks, evidence
that a new nest is being built elsewhere,
and then I see them mating.
The female becomes largely absent, no
doubt tending to her latest clutch of eggs,
and her mate is left in sole charge of the
young. The chicks now sport steely silver
pin feathers, which look spiky but are soft
to the touch. Unusually, they won’t become
fully feathered until the week before they
fledge. I suspect this is down to the messy
nest environment.Flying the nest
Kingfisher chicks fledge when they are
around 27 days old. I arrive at the hide
irrepressibly expectant. Inside the nest are
three perfectly-formed little kingfishers –
one has already flown the nest. The female
kingfisher has now been away for nearly
10 days but, as if on cue, she turns up
outside the nest and calls with her mate toTop left: building
work commences.
Above: the completed
replica riverbank. Left:
the nest chamber and
tunnel were moulded
from a balloon and
a drainpipe. Bottom
left: a kingfisher’s diet
consists of fish and
aquatic insects.