Kingfisher in Peckham Rye Park

[Nero]

I saw one of the above flitting over the pond in the park. I was surprised to see it. I've only even seen them abroad before. Last year a cormorant took up residence on the island in the middle of the water. Both of these birds' presence would suggest that there are fish in the pond, yes? Nero

[PeckhamRose]

That is soooo fabulous.

I was just reading my latest issue of Peckham Society News and indeed it mentioned that someone had seen a kingfisher in the park!

I live in a flat overlooking the park so I hope the kingfisher honours me with its presence soon.

On my birdfeeder I get all the usual suspects and also a very shy woodpecker now and again.

Then 20 mins on my motorcycle gets me into Oxford Street and free motorcycle parking.

GOD I love living here!

Do report any other sightings of the kingfisher, people. Does he hang out by the big pond or the Japanese pond? Does he or she have a mate? Do the folk at the cafe see him?

[Moos]

I've seen it quite a few times, the first time being back in November - as far as I know it tends to hang out at the Japanese pond and can be seen whizzing under the bridge in a glorious flash of electric blue. I love the bird life in the park - herons, wrens and those funky parrots...

[dulwichmum]

This is wonderful news. I love the vivid blue of a super lovely Kingfisher. Cheltenham Race Week is coming up in March, and I need a new hat. I have a pair of Purdy shotguns under the stairs...

[Moos]

And with the parrot feathers too you should look super fabulous. Or are you of the 'blue and green should never be seen' school?

[Nero]

It was over the 'lake', which was where I saw the cormorant. I'm glad it was a bit of deal for it to be there. Is it likely, then, to be a solitary bird, and is it likely to be male or female? I'll keep looking for it. Nero

[dulwichmum]

Oh Moos darling, I think the right shade of green with kingfisher blue is divine!

Sweet Nero, shall I lend you my weapons?

[Moos]

Nero, how can one tell a male from a female kingfisher (DM, please provide appropriate quip)? I'm in the park all the time, when I see it again, I'll report back as to its manly features or feminine curves. Or whatever I need to be looking for.

[Nero]

Female birds tend to be less showy than the males, so perhaps that might be the case with kingfishers. Nero

[Moos]

RSPB website didn't help, but this is what the BBC website has to say "Males and females are nearly indistinguishable, the female can, however, be distinguished by the orange coloration on the lower part of her bill." Good luck spotting that as she whips by!

[boosboss]

Here's a photo of the Kingfisher. Someone sent it to me a while ago (The pic, not the Kingfisher).

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a308/boosboss/KingfisherPeckhamRye-1.jpg

[chichirara]

I saw the kingfisher swooping under the bridge in december while looking for the terapin that was living in the pond, has anyone else noticed that?

[Nero]

My colleague kind of burst my bubble a bit by saying that she'd seen two up in Stoke Newington in a park there. So, does anyone know how many fish there are in PRP lake? Must be a fair few for a kingfisher and a cormorant. Nero

[Cassius]

I've not seen the kingfisher but I've seen a parakeet in the Rye.

Will look out for the kingfisher now.

[zephyr]

The parakeets have been in the Rye for a few years. They were very noticable in Nunhead cemetary last year (not noticed them ther before. Noticed them also in Crystal Palace park last week.

Not seen the Kingfisher though. Hopefully one of many to come?

[KalamityKel]

Anyone else have a cuckoo visit them?

Do Kingfishers have to solely live off fish to survive?

[Nero]

Kingfishers that live near water hunt small fish by diving. They also eat crayfish, frogs, and insects. Or so says Wikipedia. Nero

[jb1000]

I've got to check it out. Notable spots this year, are a male sparrow hawk and lesser spotted woodpecker near one tree hill.

[PeckhamRose]

It was either a spotted or a lesser spotted woodpecker and also a green woodpecker that visited our birdfeeder.

Didn't count spots so don't know if it was lesser or morer but anyway we're on the SE15 side of Peckham Rye Park in between park and Nunhead Cemetery.

Gonna be out kingfisher spotting soon.

Oh damn, turning into a country twitcher. Stop that behaviour now dammit. [Gets on motorcycle and roars up the road swerving in between the hard dangerous bumpy traffic angering things...]

That's better.

jb1000 Wrote:

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> I've got to check it out. Notable spots this year,

> are a male sparrow hawk and lesser spotted

> woodpecker near one tree hill.

[Sue]

I saw a water rat (?vole?) at the edge of the water in Peckham Rye Park a while back - the bit where you go over that little bridge.

Also saw a newt in the water there once :)

Often see the parakeets (?sp?) and have seen a load of them on someone's bird feeder near the path going up to the woods - blimey, getting like Oz round here :))

Why is it that I get zillions of sparrows and starlings in my garden, when they're the ones whose numbers are supposed to be dwindling, but hardly anything else (pair of blackbirds, resident robin, a wren once, the odd great and blue tit, one collared dove and that's about it)

And they get through the most enormous amounts of bird food, they're eating me out of house and home, occasionally helped by a squirrel :)

Would love to attract woodpeckers or long-tailed-tits (my fave birds) but so far zilch :'( maybe there aren't any ltts around ED, but I know there are woodpeckers!

[LostThePlot]

Sue Wrote:

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> > Also saw a newt in the water there once :)

I feel somewhat ashamed to say that my formative years in the North East were spend playing on the slag heaps and looking for news in the bright orange rivers. Wonder if I contributed to their demise?

Must say though, as the countryside got cleaned up they have become rarer. Bring back uncontrolled pollution I say!

LTP

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[fluffy]

There is a lovely woodpecker that flits around near my flat on overhill rd also huge array of commonly spotted birds, bluetits, robins, parakeets and all sorts. Also a vixen and her now quite large cub can be seen slinking around late at night. I don't have a garden so feeding them is tricky but they seem to turn up regardless! As for the kingfisher I'll keep my eyes peeled...

[Cassius]

Please don't feed the foxes - they are enough of a pest without being encouraged. You don't have a garden, but I do, and have had more than enough of fox poo, cubs destroying plants, whatever.

[carolyn]

i just saw this flying under the bridge the other day and had no idea what it was, it was so beautiful it stopped me midsentence, good to put a name to the colour

[Sue]

Just found this whilst looking for something else on the net - is this true, or an urban myth???

"We have vivid green parakeets - escaped from a Tarzan film set at Elstree Studios in the 1950's and they have colonized the South of London"

:)