Kingfishers How often?

Question

I have seen two Kingfishers at a river (probably the same one) within the last six months. Have been told that Kingfishers are very few and far between. Is this unusual. Live in Central Scotland

Answer 1

They aren't that rare in England (I'm not sure about Scotland). There is a river just down the road from where I live (in Lancashire) and there is at least one pair of kingfishers on this stretch that I have seen. I have only ever seen them both together on two seperate occassions, but I usually see one or the other of the pair every other visit to the river (This is usually once a month-ish). Seeing a kingfisher near a river is a good sign, it implies very little if any water polution. Kingfishers feed on small freshwater fish that live in moving water. Many species of small fresh water fish are suseptable to the affects of water pollution, so if you visit an unpolluted river you are more likely to spot a kingfisher than you are if you visit a polluted river. If you visit a non-moving water source such as a pond, you are less likely to spot a king fisher. In that respect Kingfishers are probably only as rare as the number of suitable water sources available to them. I believe (but do not quote me) that kingfishers are territorial, if I am correct in this belief, you are only likely to see a maximum of two kingfishers (unless they have young) per x length of river. How often you sight your kingfishers will vary depending on how often you visit the location, how long you stay, and how big their territory is in relation tp how often they pass by that area of territory you are in at the time of your visit. If you stood in one spot 24 hours a day seven days a week you will probably see more of them than you would by visiting once a week and only spending an hour in a fixed location.

Answer 2

Thats really wierd because just recently I've saeen what I assume to be the same kingfisher down at our local creek. I was under the impression that they are rare and I've never seen one untill now. I'm in south west wales btw

Answer 3

Not sure about their range in Scotland..but they are pretty common here in California. I don't see tons of them, but when in the right habitat I see them from time to time. We get the Belted Kingfisher here. What species do you get?