Kingfisher

Alcedo atthis

Kingfisher

Kingfishers are not seen very often at Rannoch but I know that they have been seen at the River Tummel creek at West Tempar. Somewhat further away they are seen fairly often at Dunmore Loch at Pitlochry and also at Crieff.

If you know of further Rannoch sightings I would be interested to hear about them.

Since the kingfisher catches fish by diving into water headfirst from a perch the presence of ice in winter would be a factor that would persuade them to move on to warmer climes. Perhaps with climate change they will become more common at Rannoch. The RSPB says that they are increasing their range in Scotland.

Kingfisher nest in burrows which they dig about a metre into river banks. The kingfisher’s beak is aerodynamic for efficient diving and the shape has been copied for The front of Japanese bullet trains. The beak is half opened to grasp the prey. The eyes are protected by a third eyelid called a nictitating membrane. Kingfishers mostly eat fish such as sticklebacks and minnows but will also eat insect larvae and tadpoles.

A Kingfisher at the River Almond. This great photo was taken by Gail Dobbie and she has kindly given her permission for it to be reproduced here.