Kingfisher - movements

In August 1993, a first calendar year bird ringed on Skomer (itself an unusual occurrence) was caught by a ringer 967km and 19 days later at Irun on the north coast of Spain.  This is still the longest kingfisher movement recorded from Britain.

Kingfisher - 1949 status

Alcedo atthis ispida

Resident.  Twice Skokholm, 17 Aug 1936 and 16 July 1948.  Seen on coastal beaches in winter.  Many died in the winter of 1946-47 and it has been very scarce since.

R.M.Lockley, G.C.S.Ingram, H.M.Salmon, 1949, The Birds of Pembrokeshire, The West Wales Field Society

Kingfisher - 2003-07

The confirmed and probable breeding records total 16 for both the 1984 - 88 and the 2003-07 surveys. The estimated 50 breeding pairs during the former survey was based on these registrations, so there has probably been no change since. However there was almost a 50% reduction in the possible breeding category, that is to say birds seen in apparently suitable habitat during the nesting season. Why this is so has not been resolved. Kingfishers can suffer increased mortality during cold spells but no such weather occurred during the review period. Pollution incidents may affect fish stocks and therefore Kingfishers, but in general water quality has improved post the 1980’s and no such effect was experienced in the core breeding area. The most likely explanation seems to be under-recording, for bright and colourful as Kingfishers are, they can be elusive and easily overlooked.

Graham Rees

Fieldwork 2003-07 (based on 49o tetrads)

Red = breeding confirmed = 8

Orange = breeding probable = 8

Yellow = breeding possible = 16

Total tetrads in which registered = 32 (6.5%)

Kingfisher - 1994

Breeding resident

There has probably been little change in the status of the Kingfisher in Pembrokeshire since the time of Mathew (1894), who described it as a common resident, and Lockley et al. (1949), who simply stated that it was resident. The Breeding Birds Survey of 1984-1988 found about 50 pairs along the streams and rivers and on the larger ponds (see map), but it is probable that some were missed in the east of the county; they used to breed on the river above Solva but have not been known to do so for the past seven years.

Kingfishers wander to the coast outside the breeding season, particularly to the estuaries, and are regularly seen at Newport and various parts of the Cleddau. They have occasionally reached the offshore islands of Skomer, Skokholm and Grassholm.

Freezing conditions can cause high winter mortality. Lockley et al. noted that many died in the winter of 1946/47, becoming very scarce afterwards, and the arctic winter of 1963 reduced the Welsh population by an estimated 85% (Smith 1969), with Pembrokeshire's numbers being cut down to just a few surviving pairs. A succession of mild winters and productive summers enabled them to increase again and subsequent cold spells have not had the same drastic effect.

Fieldwork 1984-88 (based on 478 tetrads)

Red = breeding confirmed = 11

Orange = breeding probable = 5

Yellow = breeding possible = 31

Total tetrads in which registered = 47 (9.8%)

Donovan J.W. & Rees G.H (1994), Birds of Pembrokeshire

Kingfisher - 1970s breeding

Red = breeding confirmed

Orange = breeding probable

Yellow = breeding possible

Kingfisher - 1980s winter atlas

The BTO winter atlas showed that Kingfishers were present in about 40% of Pembrokeshire 10km squares during the winters of 1981-82, 1982-82 and 1983-84.

The darker the colour, the higher the relative total count for each 10km square.  The darkest blue represents over 3 birds.

Graham Rees 

Kingfisher - 1894

Species account from M Mathew, 1894, "The Birds of Pembrokeshire and its islands"

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