Our Eras Tour #10: Teifi Marshes Nature Reserve

Common Kingfisher, Teifi Marshes Nature Reserve

The next morning, we decided to do something different. There were more castles to see, but they were all starting to look alike.

So, also on the advice of the Flambards Innkeeper, we went to nearby Teifi Marshes Nature Reserve.

The Kingfisher Pond

The 264-acre Reserve has been described as one of the best wetland reserves in Wales by the BBC, and is one of only a few sites in the UK where one can (allegedly) find resident Water Buffalo. I don’t know where they keep them; we didn’t see any. I think it was the wrong time of year.

The reserve is situated on the floor of the wide pre-glacial channel left by the former course of the Afon Teifi (Teifi River) that is now occupied by the Afon Piliau, which meanders through the marshes in a narrow but deceptively deep cut.

The River Piliau

A range of habitats is supported, from open pasture and well-wooded hedgerows, through alders and willows, freshwater marsh with open pools and reedbeds to tidal mudbanks. 

Of course, we went looking for birds.

The birding path

Giant willow Otter with a Parkrun sign

To get there, we had to drive up a very narrow road (surprise), but since it was early, we didn’t encounter any departing cars. 

When we reached the carpark, however, we encountered the Vitality Parkrun. Fortunately, it was over a short course and didn’t interfere with our walk. The runners all seemed local; they knew each other and weren't too intense.

There were birds, but most were the frustrating kind that likes to sing loudly while darting in and out of thickets and trees.

We saw some Eurasian Bullfinches, including the brilliantly colored male (we think we had also seen one near Pentre Ifan) as well.

My attempt to photograph the male Eurasian Bullfinch failed, but I did get the female

We also saw ...

 A Dunnock

Lots of Eurasian Blackbirds, female and male

Eurasian Magpies and Common Wood-Pigeons

Common Chiffchaffs (love that name)

Eurasian Blue Tits

A Great Tit

European Robins

Another hard-to-photograph Red Kite (I thought they were rare, but not so much)

A Gray Heron

Yellow-legged Gulls

As far as animals go, we had to be satisfied with Gray Squirrels

When we went into the Welsh Wildlife Centre, which is situated there, we saw a dry-erase board with sightings listed. 

A beautiful building; Photo: Welsh Wildlife Centre

On the board, someone had noted Common Kingfisher sightings at the Kingfisher Blind. What???!!!! We got directions and hurried over.

Common Kingfisher

We quietly crept into the blind and took a seat on the bench right in the middle. It was only about 15 minutes in, when this gorgeous bird landed on a perch right in front of us.

The prettiest bird we saw in Wales

It posed for a few minutes before flying to another perch farther away and then proceeded to fish, eat fish and fish some more. It was a wee bit too far away for great pictures, but so fun to watch.

A more distant perch

Also known as the Eurasian Kingfisher and River Kingfisher, the Common Kingfisher has seven subspecies recognized within its wide distribution across Eurasia and North Africa. The Western European subspecies is the only Kingfisher found in Wales.

The all-black bill says male; the bottom of the female's bill is orange 

Sparrow-sized, it has a typical short-tailed, large-headed Kingfisher profile. The upper parts are bright metallic turquoise blue, the belly and malars are coppery orange, the throat is white and the feet are bright red/organge. The bill is long and thick.

The Common Kingfisher feeds mainly on fish. It hunts from a perch – a branch, post or riverbank – three to seven feet above the water. Teifi had placed multiple perches in the water outside the blind to facilitate feeding (by the Kingfishers) and viewing (by us).

To hunt, the Kingfisher points its bill down as it searches for prey.

 

It bobs its head when it sees food to gauge distance ...

... it then plunges steeply ...

... into the water ...

... and seizes its prey usually no deeper than 10 inches below the surface

The Common Kingfisher has a transparent third eyelid and a specialized retina that enable it to see prey underwater. 

Once it catches a fish, it rises beak-first to the surface, flies back to the perch and adjusts the fish so that it is holding it near the tail. Then, it kills the fish by beating it against the perch and swallows it head-first. 

Returning with and eating a tiny fish

A few times each day, the Kingfisher regurgitates a pellet of fish bones and other indigestible remains.

The king of the river

The Common Kingfisher has no actual song; its flight call is a short, sharp whistle “chee” repeated two or three times. 

Like all Kingfishers, it is highly territorial. Because it must eat around 60 percent of its body weight each day, it is essential to have control of a suitable stretch of river. It is solitary for most of the year, roosting alone in heavy cover. If another Kingfisher enters its territory, both birds display from perches, and fights may occur, in which a bird will grab the other's beak and try to hold it underwater. 

The one we saw was most likely part of a nesting pair; the board had said that fledglings had been seen.

The early days for fledged juveniles are hazardous; during its first dives into the water, about four days after leaving the nest, a fledgling may become waterlogged and drown. Many young will not have learned to fish by the time they are driven out of their parents' territory, and only about half survive more than a week or two. 

They constantly fish

Most Kingfishers die of cold or lack of food, and a severe winter can kill a high percentage of the birds. Summer floods can destroy nests or make fishing difficult, resulting in starvation of the brood. Only a quarter of the young survive to breed the following year, but this is enough to maintain the population. Likewise, only a quarter of adult birds survive from one breeding season to the next. The oldest bird on record was 21 years old.

If it hadn't flown away, we might have stayed forever

This species was often killed in Victorian times to be stuffed and displayed in a glass case. The feathers were also used for hats and making fishing flies. In China, feathers from any of the country's seven subspecies have been used for 2,000 years for tian-tsui (dotting with Kingfishers), in which the iridescent blue feathers are inlaid in fine art objects and adornments, from hairpins, headdresses and fans to panels and screens. All in all, Common Kingfishers have it rough. I think we were lucky to have this time with one.

On the right is a Chinese Kingfisher headdress; Photo: Invaluable.com

We had a quick lunch at the Wildlife Centre’s Glasshouse Café (another spot that sold doggie ice cream and yogurt) before heading out. We hurried to get behind a small community transport bus so we wouldn’t have to worry about oncoming traffic. We made it out without a scratch.

Trip date: June 6 - 20, 2024