On my last two visits to Callum Brae - about a week apart - I have noticed more sacred kingfishers than on previous occasions. Today I was watching them and observed one bird (?) in particular doing a lot of calling, using a kek, kek, kek call and a kind of a whirring sound alternately. Occasionally another bird came near, but they didn’t appear to be at all matey, rather the opposite. It may not have always been the same bird. I was in a really bad position as far as the light goes and have trashed most of the photos. However, some appeared to have a lighter breast than others.
There were two tree hollows that the (a) bird flew to repeatedly, but I don’t know if it was the same bird, or two birds doing the same thing a number of metres from each other, since I had moved my position. The bird barely entered the hollow, leaving very quickly. Since the entrance to the hollow was somewhat obscured, I cannot be sure that the same bird or another would leave almost straight away. But the thing that impressed me most was the amount of activity hopping from tree to tree and the incessant calling. I did not see more than two birds at one time, but by the amount of noise going on, there seemed to be more. I did not see it carrying nesting material or food. Could it be that it was just trying to establish its territory in the face of other SKF in the same area?
