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SPECIES FOCUS Kingfisher. – Michael Finn Olivia Crowe reports It comes as a surprise to many when they clap eyes on their first Kingfisher that these birds are not quite the size of a Rook. In fact, they’re not much bigger than a Robin. The Kingfisher, or Cruidín in Irish, is unmistakable, with its dazzling plumage. It has varying shades of turquoise blue on the head, back and wings, and an underside, including its legs, that is entirely orange. Its short tail and bulky head give it quite a stumpy appearance. Despite their superb coloration, Kingfishers are quite elusive. That brilliant strip of turquoise running down their back is often as much as the average observer gets to see. They usually give a high-pitched call when taking flight, but this can often go unnoticed. That is one reason why we know so little about how many Kingfishers there are in Ireland and what their exact distribution is. They are also extremely territorial – they don’t even tolerate their young hanging around just a few days after fledging – and for that reason you will rarely come across more than one or two birds at any one time. internet that is well worth checking out (see, for example, http://www.arkive.org/kingfisher/alcedoatthis/video-08a.html). In his book The Kingfisher (1982), David Boag provides an excellent account of Kingfisher lifehistory. Kingfishers nest in river banks, but do have some special requirements. The banks need to be reasonably steep and high so that the Kingfishers don’t encounter problems of predation or nest flooding. The banks used are usually composed of some soft clay material into which they can easily burrow. Both male and female do the burrowing work, although the male is usually the motivated one. He starts off by flying at the bank two or three times, but if she isn’t showing any interest, then he backs down. Temporarily, of course. She joins in and the two fly at the bank one after the other, taking turns to peck out the soil. Eventually, the pair establish their ideal ‘pad’ – a tunnel roughly 50 centimetres or more long, culminating in a nesting chamber. Up to eight eggs are laid, so the chamber gets Sean Pierce and Ruth Gaj McKeever survey the River Boyne at Stackallen, Co Meath, as part of the Kingfisher study. – Laura MacNaughten Life history Kingfishers are entirely dependent on waterways. They feed on small freshwater fish, predominantly minnows and sticklebacks, but also aquatic insects, freshwater shrimps and tadpoles. Suitable branches for perching are a necessity. In classic ambush style, Kingfishers sit and wait until that unsuspecting fish comes along. There is plenty of great footage on the WI N G S AU T U M N 2 0 1 0 15 Map showing Kingfisher sites recorded by the survey since 2006, including records submitted by the public. – Olivia Crowe Kingfisher – Michael Finn pretty busy once chicks start hatching. Unlike many other bird species, where the oldest, biggest, fattest chicks get all the food, feeding time in the Kingfisher chamber is much more civilised, and the food is spread fairly evenly among the chicks. Consequently, all that hatch are expected to fledge, usually three to four weeks later. But this is more or less where parental care and attention ends. Kingfisher fledglings are allowed to remain for just a few days before they are booted out of the territory to fend for themselves. It’s hardly surprising that quite a small proportion survives to see out their first year. River protection Rivers are of fundamental importance to biodiversity, including several species which are of conservation concern throughout Europe, most notably Freshwater Pearl Mussel, White-clawed Crayfish and Otter. Accordingly, several rivers have been designated as Special Areas of Conservation under the European Habitats Directive. Kingfisher is also a species of European conservation concern and is listed in Annex I of the European Birds Directive. The list includes all bird species considered to be in danger of extinction, rare, vulnerable to specific changes in their habitat or requiring particular attention by reason of the specific nature of their habitat. Kingfisher is also amber-listed in Ireland’s Birds of Conservation Concern. The importance of riparian habitats, which are so widely available in Ireland, to Kingfisher, and a variety of other species – Dipper, Common Sandpiper and Sand Martin, to name but a few – is unquestionable. Yet, to date, no rivers have been designated specifically for this group of birds. A comparison between the two breeding atlas surveys carried out in Britain and Ireland during the late 1960s and the late 1980s indicates that there was a 40% decline in the number of 10km squares occupied by Kingfishers in Ireland over the 20-year period. This evidence featured in the European Court of Justice ruling in December 2007 against Ireland for failing to adequately protect our birds and habitats. The main reason for this lack of protection is that we know very little about the distribution of Ireland’s riparian birds. Until relatively recently, our waterways (rivers, streams and canals) were not so well represented in any of our bird monitoring schemes. Some species are picked up as part of our breeding Countryside Bird Survey (CBS) and wintering waterbird survey (I-WeBS), although records are few. So we have little to draw on when asked about Kingfisher distribution and abundance in Ireland, and judging by the limited availability of published Kingfisher material elsewhere in Europe, we are clearly not alone. Monitoring begins Mink scratches at Kingfisher nest hole. – Declan O’Donnell 16 In 2006, a collaborative waterways bird project by BirdWatch Ireland, the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and the Office of Public Works (OPW) was initiated, and has continued to date. This work focused on investigating the most appropriate methodology for surveying waterways birds, and on gathering information on the distribution and abundance of breeding Kingfisher and other riparian bird communities. It also aimed to examine possible impacts of OPW’s arterial drainage maintenance works. These are ongoing works to maintain the original Arterial Drainage Schemes which involved the widening and deepening of waterways to improve land drainage and reduce flooding. W IN GS AU TU M N 2 0 1 0 How you can help Kingfisher – Michael Finn The current Bird Atlas (2007-2011) would benefit from your input. Information on bird distribution is vital for conservation as no species can be protected efficiently without data to base objectives on. Please report any sightings of Kingfisher or other waterways birds to: www.birdatlas.net Survey results You may remember an article published in Wings (No 45, Summer 2007) where we called on the public to provide information on the locations of any sightings of Kingfishers since 1998. We also contacted a number of angling, kayaking and other sporting groups associated with waterways, the Central Fisheries Board, staff of the OPW arterial drainage programmes, and conservation staff of NPWS. More than 2,000 records from 1,000 locations around Ireland were received from 426 participants. The survey clearly showed that Kingfisher remains widespread in Ireland, predominantly on the lowlying rivers, and not just along waterways but also around lakes, docks and canals. Some 50% of 10km squares which reported positive sightings since 1998 were new when compared with the last atlas (based on the 1988-1991 period). The results also indicate that the public are doing a great job at monitoring the Kingfisher! In 2008 and 2010, we concentrated our efforts on certain rivers and their associated tributaries, based on the knowledge that they continue to support Kingfishers. The rivers selected are large low-lying river complexes and are geographically spread. They include the River Boyne (Co Meath), Rivers Barrow & Nore (southeast), River Blackwater (Co Cork), River Clare (Co Galway) and the River Moy (Co Mayo). We also received additional records from survey work carried out on the Ilen River in Co Cork and the Bonet River in Co Leitrim. We surveyed the rivers on foot by walking along the banks or by boat using a variety of boat types, including rubber inflatable, double kayak and Canadian canoe. We were able to map out the distributions and estimate the number of territories on each river. Taking each of the river complexes as a whole, the density of territories ranged between one every 20km on the Blackwater to one every 8km on the Boyne and Nore. This is somewhat more spread out than has been reported in the UK (one every 3-5km). However, on all river complexes, territories as close as this were estimated, i.e. all complexes had some stretches where property was particularly competitive. WI NG S AU T U M N 2 0 1 0 Kingfisher This work has provided us with an update on Kingfisher distribution, and has given us a great insight into their habitat requirements. Threats By comparing the results from 2008 and 2010, we have seen that some of the rivers where Kingfishers were present in 2008, and where territories were estimated, were completely devoid of birds in 2010. Alternatively, other stretches seemed to support higher densities. Reasons for these differences are possibly due to some of the many threats facing Kingfisher populations. It is known that most do not survive from one year to the next. Kingfishers are high in the food chain, and are especially vulnerable to build-up of chemicals. Industrial pollution and contamination by agricultural run-off kills the fish these birds rely on. Long-term population declines since the early 1970s in the UK have been largely attributed to river pollution. Summer floods can make fishing difficult, resulting in starvation of the brood, and can claim nests. Human disturbance can pose serious problems, since the broods are known to fail if something upsets the feeding routine. If human presence close to a nest prevents these shy birds from entering the nest for too long, the chicks may weaken from cold or hunger and stop calling. This wrongly indicates to the parents that they are well fed, and they will not feed them. As a result, the chicks may perish. Other threats include those caused by works taking place in the river corridor such as the heavy machinery associated with drainage maintenance activities, although to date, it seems that most of this work in Ireland is localised, and takes place in smaller channels which do not support Kingfisher habitats. Kingfishers are also especially vulnerable to cold winters. It is encouraging to see that the densities witnessed in 2008 did not seem to decline by summer 2010, despite the two cold winter periods in between. Alcedo atthis The Kingfisher is widespread throughout most of Europe. The European population has been estimated at less than 160,000 pairs, with numbers in Ireland somewhere between 1,000 and 2,500 pairs. Distribution: Low-lying rivers during the breeding season. Seen regularly at coastal sites outside the breeding season. Breeding habitat: Nests in steep banks composed of soft material into which they can easily burrow. Lays up to eight eggs. Capable of nesting twice. Lifespan: Short-lived; most don’t make it past the first year. Oldest bird on record 7.5 years. Diet: Fish, largely minnows and sticklebacks, also aquatic insects, freshwater shrimps and tadpoles. Main threats: Severe cold winters, pollution, predation (e.g. cats, rats, mink, otter). This project was funded by the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Office of Public Works. Enormous thanks to all of the dedicated field staff who have been associated with this work, and to all who have submitted their observations of Kingfishers. 17