A couple of months ago, I posted on Facebook that there might well be a chance of something I had prepared ending up being published in a magazine. That was looking positive at one stage, but - unbeknown to myself at the time - plans were afoot for the magazine to cease physical publication, and now there are no longer any plans for any going to print.
The magazine was the WWT`s `Waterlife` magazine, and my plan was to try and raise the profile of WWT Llanelli by doing hopefully a two to three page feature on the breeding success of Kingfisher on the Reserve this year.
I`ve been involved in a lot of the data gathering for the last few years, and the life of Kingfisher can be a real soap opera.
So rather the written effort go to waste, here is what was a pre-publication draft and without the detailed data spreadsheets, produced here while we are still in 2025!
Here goes:
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Kingfishers Enjoy Another Successful Breeding Season at WWT Llanelli
This year has brought another `colourful` success for WWT Llanelli, with kingfishers once again choosing the waterways around the Millenium Wetlands as their breeding ground. Over the course of the breeding season, two broods were successfully fledged. Between 13th to 15th May, two male and a female juvenile were confirmed, followed by a second brood later in early August.
To encourage Kingfisher nesting, a few years ago the Reserve team at WWT Llanelli introduced an artificial bank, containing multiple chambers, around the ponds close to the Northern Loop. The bank is at an attractive angle, just off vertical, and located in an area that Kingfisher had attempted to nest before.
The artificial bank gives any prospective pair of Kingfisher the opportunity of “choosing” which chamber they want to use and modify by excavation, and has helped protect any new clutch from tunnel collapse, that can happen in natural banks.
Preparing for a family
For our Kingfishers, courtship all started back in early February, with a male `tailing` the female around the ponds surrounding the breeding site. The male would try and offer a fish, whereby she would move on to another perch, and the process start again.
By mid-month there were reports of up to four birds squabbling over the territory (which were subsequently identified as three male and a female), and for a couple of days there was plenty of noise! However, by the 24th of February, a pair had won the territory and were starting their initial excavation of one of the nest holes, which they subsequently used for the first brood.
The pair of adults eventually raising this year’s young were not the same birds as last year, a new un-ringed male winning the honours .
Life in the Nest
Kingfishers are burrow-nesters, excavating tunnels up to a metre long normally in steep, sandy or earthy banks beside rivers and lakes. At the end of the tunnel, a small chamber is hollowed out where the eggs are laid — usually between five and seven at a time, but records exist of up to ten eggs. The problem with any large clutch is that not all will be successfully incubated.
Incubation normally takes around 20 days. Our adults on the Reserve took turns incubating their clutch into April, before it was noted that the first sticklebacks were being brought in around the 19th. The children had arrived!
After about three to four weeks the chicks are ready to fledge. Even then, they remain dependent on their parents for a short while, learning how to hunt and fend for themselves. However, this can only be between 2 to 5 days before the adults will chase them off the territory, if it`s going to be used again for a further brood. We have regularly seen this behaviour.
Both parents normally take part in raising the young, bringing food to the nest in a constant relay of fishing trips for a few weeks (averaging between 23 – 27 days). However, it was noted that our female left the male to do nearly all the work for the last two weeks prior to fledging, and she seemed preoccupied with making adjustments to a different nest hole in the bank – ready for the next brood.
A Splash of Colour
Kingfisher are one of Britain’s most striking birds. Barely larger than a sparrow, it is instantly recognised by its vivid plumage: a stunning bright blue back and tail, almost neon-like; a blue crown and wings, that can sometimes look quite greenish in different lighting conditions (such as low morning light); an orangey chest, and flashes of white along the throat and side of the neck.
A breeding adult female has an obvious orangey-red “lipstick” colour on the lower bill. Both adults have orangey-red feet.
Juveniles have slightly darker `chequerboard` chests, more obvious when wet or perched in shadows, a `sooty` top to their feet, and sometimes a slight white tip to the bill (but this can vary greatly).
On the Reserve at WWT Llanelli, Kingfisher can be seen via a viewing screen around their breeding area at the Northern Loop ponds from their first territorial courtship in February until the fledging of their final brood. However, they can be seen more frequently from our Peter Scott and Heron`s Wing hides from early July until late September.
Heading into early Autumn, both the adults and juveniles then disperse across the Reserve, and maybe further afield, so sightings become more scarce.
An Indicator of a Healthy Habitat
Because they rely on clean water and healthy fish populations, Kingfishers are considered a key indicator of wetland health. Their ongoing success on the Reserve highlights the quality of the site’s habitat and thriving ecosystem that also benefits many other species. Despite the regular growth of summer algae, the waterways around the Reserve still provide the necessary and plentiful food for all their families.
For our visitors, a glimpse of a kingfisher is always a highlight, but patience and sometimes a bit of luck may be needed. The habitat on the Reserve provides them with an extensive area to roam and find their own individual fishing territory. Sometimes you might walk into a hide and see one perched outside straight away, but more commonly it might be a fleeting flash of blue and orange after a two or three hour wait, or just hear the shrill whistle call as it announces it`s arrival.
And there are more Kingfisher!
At WWT Llanelli, we also have Kingfisher breeding around a `non-public` section of our main Grounds area, a discreet distance away from disturbance, but with full access to a long stretch of flowing water. Their territory here is also a considerable distance from the Reserve, so rivals from the Reserve at least should not challenge them.
Although `unmonitored` in this private area, Kingfisher seem to hold their numbers, as it is these birds that are seen after the breeding season from the Michael Powell and British Steel hides, and occasionally over the Marsh Garden and from the Observatory.
Kingfishers landing on the `No Fishing` sign close to the Michael Powell hide create one of the most photographed perching opportunities at WWT Llanelli!
Kingfishers are more likely to be seen during the winter months on the saline areas from these hides, rather than those on the Reserve. Look out for them around the surrounding fenceposts and barbed wire.
Conservation in Action
The repeated success of Kingfisher here at WWT Llanelli is not simply by chance. Careful management of the Reserve has been essential, and staff and volunteers have worked to maintain the quality of the habitat and to protect nesting sites from disturbance.
The successful fledging of two broods on the Reserve again this year reflects years of ongoing conservation work, the resilience of this delicate species, and the importance of maintaining healthy waterways.
Staff at WWT Llanelli have put up numerous perches and posts across the Reserve, some not visible or obvious to the public, and at least give Kingfisher the best opportunity to find independent fishing territories, and therefore give them the best start in life.
Russ Myners
(August 2025.)
All text and images (c) Russ Myners. Not to be reproduced
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