Notoriously difficult to photograph Kingfisher is an unparalleled record of the life of this beautiful bird. A towering achievement from a brilliant photographic talent.

The Kingfisher is one of the most bewitching birds – strikingly beautiful in colour, unmistakably elegant in profile, incomparable when plunge-diving for its food. It is shy, solitary and hard to spot when it perches motionless on a branch above the water, ready to strike the moment a fish appears.


From a hide attached to his home by a west country river, and form a number if vantage points along that river, he has watched and photographed kingfishers for literally thousands of hours , starting to work before dawn and continuing until there is too little light for him to see. This dedication has enabled him to build up a unique photographic portfolio, showing behaviours that have not appeared in scientific papers. We see kingfishers courting and mating, rearing their chicks, hunting and defending a territory. Charlie’s skills as a film maker are also apparent in his photography – his shots of the kingfishers diving make us believe we are watching them in motion. The accompanying text is equally exceptional.