An afternoon with kingfishers

It had been a very long time since I had visited Mere Sands Wood Nature Reserve at Rufford. So yesterday afternoon found me walking the familiar path to the Rufford Hide. The Rufford Hide can usually be relied on for sightings of kingfisher which seem to prefer this part of the reserve and the hide is usually occupied by one or more photographers. When I arrived I found I had it to myself and settled down to await the arrival of a kingfisher. A few minutes later one did arrive but it was perched on a fencing post some distance from the hide. There are a couple of perches which the kingfishers use which are sited much closer to the hide but they were not used whilst I was there.
However there was much action over the next couple of hours or so as the kingfishers have obviously had a second brood and were feeding a youngster throughout the afternoon. This young bird also tried fishing for itself but hasn't quite got the hang of things just yet. By now I had been joined by others and we all enjoyed watching and photographing the comings and goings throughout the afternoon. Unfortunately the kingfishers didn't come close but I managed some reasonable shots using the 500mm lens with 1x4 convertor attached. All in all it was an excellent afternoon with super views of kingfisher and good banter from the frequent visitors to the hide. Eventually the promised rain arrived and I packed up and headed home. I look forward to my next visit when perhaps the kingfishers will come that bit closer to the hide. The images show some of the action seen from the Rufford Hide.