Have you heard the one about the Kingfisher, the Mink and the Otter?

This an oil pastel/ water colour piece I did of a kingfisher, having spent time watching a Kingfisher nest on the River Deel, Co. Limerick last summer.I'm hoping to photograph them this year with some luck and copious amounts of patience! Nonetheless I'm ambitious.

Kingfishers are a truly beautiful species which ignite river scenes with their firey oranges and vibrant blues as they dive beneath the meniscus with impressive skill and ease.  

While watching last year's Kingfishers I made an interesting observation. The Kingfishers had chosen to nest on a meander which was the long established territory of a dog Otter. The River Deel has seen an unfortunate increase in Mink numbers, an invasive species, which have wiped out Water Hen populations on the river and are known to predate Kingfisher nests (as was seen on this year's Springwatch). Dog Otters, however have been known to defend their territory persistently from Mink, there have even been reports of dog Otters killing Mink in extreme circumstances. On the River Deel there have been no reports of Mink on the meander defended by the Otter which is also the chosen nest site of the Kingfisher. This definitely appears to be responsive behaviour by the Kingfisher and simply interdependence at its best!