Hi Michelle I was out around the back of the Worsley Court House yesterday (Thursday 9th) and one was flying and diving in the Bridgewater Canal in Worsley. Real easy to spot not very shy sadly only had my binoculars and not my camera. Good luck with this.
Hi Michelle, I have a friend who works at Key 103 in Castlefield and he has a regular visit from one on his window ledge, behind the new Indian Restaurant. May be worth having a mooch that way too? I've definitely seen them on the Bridgewater Canal around Castlefield too. Good luck with the project!
I've seen one several times at Pomona docks on the Ship Canal, which is another place that's also good for grey wagtails and sand martins. Lapwings too, and there were a couple of skylarks last year, as well.
I've seen them around the flood-defence sluices on the Mersey in Didsbury, and bombing about by the A34 road bridge just up from there. They're also seen almost in Stockport on the stretch around the Pyramid. I guess half-submerged shopping trolleys count as urban? Grey Wagtails and Sand Martins too.
Thanks John. Yeah I should have said, I'm well aware of the sched.1 licencing and have no intention of going near a nest! I'll look into the flash, thanks, if you or anyone else knows any slightly more urban/industrial settings where kingfishers have been spotted fairly regularly then that would be great to know as well as that would really fit with the urban setting of my film.
Appreciate the help,
Michelle
Kingfishers are Schedule 1 Breeding birds and a special licence is required to photograph them anywhere near the nesting sites and these are not obtainable by anyone who is not experienced in this type of photography, so its better not to try at nest sites ,and the times you have mentioned coincide with the Breeding season, So locations of breeding areas cannot and should not be mentioned on the Internet. Away from the breeding sites there are no better places in the county for seeing and photographing Kingfisher than the hides at Pennington Flash country park, especially in late July when the young from the first broods start to appear on the various pools after being chased away from the breeding areas by the Adults. :)
-- Edited by JOHN TYMON on Wednesday 8th of April 2015 08:05:21 PM
I'm a student at Salford University doing a Masters in Wildlife Documentary Production and my dissertation project is a short film on urban wildlife here in the UK. I'm planning on including a sequence based around the bird life by urban rivers/waterways, especially kingfishers, but I need some help - all the kit and patience in the world is obviously no good if you've set up in the wrong place!
I'll be filming during June and July and while I will have access to the long lens equipment, hides, etc that would be needed to successfully film these birds, I will need help in finding the best location to set up. I was hoping that some of the regular birders on this forum would be able to offer some help in identifying spots within Greater Manchester that kingfishers are known to frequent, and any hint or tips you may have to improve my chances of filming these birds, especially filming them fishing.
