At 10:00 today I watched a Sacred Kingfisher fly from a grassy area of our yard to a nearby tree where it gobbled down a small prey item. During the following seven minutes
it made two more successful forays before spearing off in an easterly direction.
Early this afternoon I turned into the carpark of the Pegasus Riding School and, within seconds of switching off the engine, a Red-backed Kingfisher landed on a fence
15 metres away affording me excellent views of its streaked greyish head suggestive of a brushed-back hairstyle – a pretty good diagnostic field mark. Five seconds later cars pulled in on either side of me, occupants alighted, doors slammed, bird flew away.
John Layton
Holt.
