My first attempt at photographing the kingfishers with a DSLR wasn't successful. I set up a hide around 7 or 8 metres away to fit the whole perch in the frame with a 500mm lens.
I heard the kingfishers flying past going up and down the river numerous times, but not once did they land on the perch. I even saw one dive into the river not far from the perch, but it flew off as soon as it caught something. I wondered whether the hide, a new large and unfamiliar object, put them off.