With its iridescent colors, the kingfisher is unique in our native animal world. Depending on the sunlight, its plumage shines from blue to turquoise on its back and from orange to rusty brown on its underside.
But contrary to what you might think, its colorful plumage doesn't necessarily make it easier to spot. The kingfisher's colors blend in perfectly with nature. From above it blends in with the water and from below with the branch on which it usually sits. So I was all the happier that I was able to find a kingfisher territory again this summer after a long time.
Brandenburg - A paradise for kingfishers
Kingfishers breed in slow-flowing or stagnant waters with a rich supply of small fish and perches. Fortunately, Brandenburg has many of these. A few weeks ago, I noticed the many potential perches for kingfishers on a river in Brandenburg. The river offers a perfect view of the various perches and many possibilities for camouflage.
So I decided to observe the possible territory a little longer. It took about two hours before my suspicions became reality and a whole family of kingfishers came darting around the corner. As if that wasn't lucky enough, only minutes later an osprey swooped into the water right in front of me. His hunting attempt was unsuccessful and unfortunately so was my shot.
But from then on I couldn't get this beautiful place out of my mind and decided to visit the kingfisher several times over the following weeks. A young male kingfisher usually came to my favorite perches.
The sex and age of a kingfisher can be easily identified by its beak. In contrast to males, females have an orange-colored lower beak and young birds can be distinguished from adults by the white tip of their beak.
The kingfisher as an indicator for near-natural waters
When I come across a kingfisher, it's a real feeling of happiness. Not only because it is so beautiful, but also because its presence proves that the water body is obviously intact. A kingfisher needs near-natural waters with a healthy ecosystem in order to find food and breeding grounds.
However, the kingfisher does not need an untouched wilderness. It now also feels at home in some near-natural cities such as Berlin. For example, a pair of kingfishers has already settled in Berlin's Tiergarten.
The kingfisher I filmed has made itself at home in a nature reserve in Brandenburg, where it obviously finds ideal living conditions. In addition to several kingfishers, I was also able to film a flock of sparrows, a robin and a moorhen.
A small family of nutria also regularly crossed the paths of the kingfishers. Time and again, the mother and her young emerged from the reeds to feed.
Over the last few days, I have not seen the kingfisher at its previous perch very often. It has now changed its hunting tactics, as the fish have now moved to deeper waters and are no longer seen so often. I'll certainly be visiting him more often over the course of the year and I'm curious to see what else I get to see. ?
I hope you like my little movie and that you got a good impression of this beautiful place and its animal inhabitants. Of course, I would also be delighted if you continue to read about me in the Wildlife Blog be surprised by our local nature.
Best regards,
PS: By the way, here you can find my personal Nature film websitewhere you can find out even more about me. I wish you lots of fun in the CareElite Blog!
