The return of Walter White

A particularly obliging male kingfisher spent part of this afternoon perched on dead alder branches in front of Ivy South Hide today. At times it came within just a few metres of the hide, catching small fish and was seen by quite a few visitors, including families with young children and was surprisingly unfazed by any commotion in the hide. It is possible to tell it’s a male by it’s black lower mandible, in females it’s orange.

Kingfisher, Ivy South Hide

I was really pleased to hear the great white egret known locally as Walter White had returned to Blashford on Thursday afternoon when I arrived at work this morning. And it spent some time this afternoon feeding in front of Ivy South Hide. Always fantastic to see, this bird as been returning to the reserve each autumn since 2004, having been colour-ringed as a nestling at Lac de Grand-Lieu, Vendee, France. It has green, red and orange colour rings on the left leg, although these are not visible in the photo below.

Great white egret, Ivy North Hide