Zimorodek uczy potomka, jak radzić sobie z rybą

A FISHY FEUD! This father-and-son pair of eurasian kingfishers play tug of war with their stickleback supper. The father is trying to teach his son how to fend for himself in the wild. This moment was pictured by John Crooks at a pond in West Somerton, Norfolk. He said, “There is a brief period of only a few days after fledging when the adults feed the young and then teach them to catch their fish.” “Eurasian Kingfishers are very territorial and the fledglings will not be tolerated in their parent’s territory after a few weeks.Once the very overworked father decided that the fledglings should feed themselves it was fascinating. He began teasing him with sticklebacks and refusing to release them.” “This young male was getting more and more frustrated with his father and getting very hungry, begging and pulling at the fish. The father kept offering and then refusing to release it until eventually ate the fish himself.” “Shortly after the father began this behaviour the young started diving for themselves and improving their success rate.” Please byline: John Crooks/Solent News © John Crooks/Solent News & Photo Agency UK +44 (0) 2380 458800 *** Local Caption *** The images were taken at my neighbors pond in West Somerton, Norfolk. He regularly has Kingfishers at the pond but at the end of March they stopped visiting. We wondered if they had a nest somewhere close by and therefore might reappear later in the summer when their young fledged. There is a brief period of only a few days after fledging that the adults feed the young and then teach them to catch their own fish. Eurasian Kingfishers are very territorial and the fledglings will not be tolerated in their parents territory after a few weeks. Once the very overworked father decided that the fledglings should feed themselves it was fascinating. He began teasing them with sticklebacks and refusing to release it. The fish is always presented head first. This young male was getting more and more frustrated with his father and getting very hungry, begging and pulling at the fish. The father kept offering and then refusing to release it until eventually ate the fish himself. Shortly after the father began this behavior the young started diving for themselves and improving their success rate. It was only the father that appeared during this time as his partner must have been sitting on another round of eggs. The frequency of his visits reduced leaving the four young at or near the pond for a couple of weeks before being driven away. Kingfishers are not uncommon but witnessing this behavior is a rare pleasure. Usually the only view of a kingfisher we get is an iridescent blur as they fly away. I captured these images by laying in wait in a camouflaged hide for many hours over several weeks waiting and hoping that the fledglings would be brought to the pond. Once again the Kingfishers haven’t been seen this year and we are hoping they will reappear again this coming summer.