The Common Kingfisher has become a regular sighting on our Frenchman’s Creek Kayak Adventure this month. The small cobalt blue bird with a brown chest flies along the tree line just above the water. They feed off the fish in the river and creeks.
However, we didn’t expect to see them on the North Coast Kayak Adventure, usually the home to seagulls, cormorants and other sea birds. The Kingshers have been sighted just outside the Hall and Parlour sea caves to the left of Trevaunance Cove and around the caves of Trevellas.
Here is some video footage posted onto You Tube
Researching more about the birds and their habitats though perhaps it isn’t such a surprise as they are known to nest in tunnels dug into natural banks like those found on our Frenchman’s Creek Kayak Adventure and artificial banks in the ground, of which there are many along the World Heritage Mining Heritage St Agnes Coastline. There are also plenty of fish on both locations for the small large headed birds with long, sharp, pointed bills, short legs, and stubby tails.
There are roughly 90 species of kingfisher and unlike the large kingfishers we saw in Sri Lanka, who were happy to sit in the trees, and like kingfisher species in the world live away from water eating small invertebrates, the common kingfishers we see in Britain are much smaller and eat fish.
Kingfishers are common in central and southern England, but less common further north.
North Coast from St Agnes and Frenchman’s Creek Kayak Adventures are available daily.
