Secret life of kingfishers to be shared on air

The story of how Robert E Fuller filmed inside a kingfisher’s nest was first shared with viewers who tuned in to last night’s episode of Springwatch, but tomorrow night, the Thixendale-based artist will be interviewed live on BBC Two’s sister show, Springwatch Unsprung, by wildlife presenter Chris Packham.

Mr Fuller, a regular columnist in The Yorkshire Post’s Country Week pages, spends months watching and photographing animals and birds in the wild in order to paint them accurately.

He patiently captured the kingfisher footage by building an artificial mud bank with a nesting chamber inside, rigged with surveillance cameras and lit by tiny LED lights.

The artist followed the courtship process of the kingfishers from his hide and was able to watch via TV monitors as seven eggs were laid.

He said: “Four of the chicks have hatched and I followed the lives of the young kingfisher family daily, watching as the male and female take it in turn to brood.

“It’s been incredible to watch what happens inside the nest and learn how the male and female interact. The female appears to be a less attentive parent than the male, I’ve been wondering if this is her first brood.”

The artist’s finished painting of a kingfisher in its nest is on display in his gallery until June 25 and forms part of an exhibition of new paintings of animals with their young, entitled ‘Bringing Up Baby’.

Tomorrow’s episode of Springwatch Unsprung starts at 6.30pm and will also see Mr Fuller’s pet weasel make an appearance. He adopted the animal, named Fidget, after it was found stranded in York. Fidget has since gone on to attract internet fame with a video of him completing a maze pulling in 19m views on social media.