SAND and SALT
I try, generally, to write about the wildlife that is currently in evidence at the time this publication goes to print. On this occasion,
however,
November is upon us and even more dank and drizzly than usual. I intend, therefore, to look back to the summer ‐ remembering halcyon days beside the river Avon as it meanders clear and wide through the pastoral landscapes of Fordingbridge. Please forgive the flowery prose (it ties in with the text!)
Halcyon: a word one reads, but can never imagine including
in everyday
conversation. It usually refers to a semi‐ mythological time of peace and radiant calm. The halcyon was, in reality, the ancient Greek name for the kingfisher. In the times before ‘Autumn Watch’ antiquarian naturalists made do with supposition and fantastic
imagination...and they believed that the kingfisher (a native of almost the whole of Europe) built its nest upon the water. Such a floating nest could only ever succeed in the very calmest of times—hence the popular usage of the term halcyon days.
The kingfisher is the only European representative
of this genus,
Halcyonidae—which is known also for the famous Kookaburra of Australasia. In Australia, kookaburros are familiar birds, famous for their strange laughing call, and well known even in urban areas. Unlike kingfishers, they are not a water bird, but a carnivorous songbird, much in the manner of the European shrikes.
The kingfishers of Britain and western Europe are generally resident birds, moving only short distances to escape the
Wildlife notes from Forest and Coast. by Graeme Lamkin of Arum Design
localised freeze‐ups that would deny them access to their main diet of small fish and aquatic insects. However, from Eastern Germany through Poland and southern Russia, the kingfisher population is
migratory, moving south and west to warmer climes. This ability to travel further then the length of a riverbank, would explain how, even in England, kingfishers can pop up in unexpected places.
I once undertook a week of landscaping at a property near Canada Common, not a place known for its watery habitats. In the garden, however, was a medium sized fish pond, and each lunch time at exactly 1.30, a kingfisher would appear and fish for about five minutes, before flying on. The client, when told of this glittering visitor, said that she had lived there for fifteen years and never seen a kingfisher...ever. I suspect she did not believe me! The bird was, of course unmistakable and I have seen kingfishers subsequently at other small garden ponds during the winter months.
Their appearance is always memorable, and a mark that one has created something worthwhile, if a kingfisher should bless a mere garden pond with his presence.
Photos courtesy of Luke Parkinson Please mention The Lymington Directory when responding to advertisements 35
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