Oxford.
1909.
Sept. 9 [September 9, 1909]
(No 3)
  When I ran my boat in under the spreading willow I
disturbed a Kingfisher which flew from another tree of the 
same kind, about thirty yards off, and turned in over the
meadow. It was back again only a few minutes later, alighting
in the same tree, about 6 feet above the water, in dense foliage.
Here it remained concealed for some time but at length
I saw it fly out and down towards the water which it struck
in full sunlight near the middle of the river, burying itself
for an instant and then at once returning to its perch. Whether
it got a fish or not I could not see. The downward incline
of its flight was very gentle yet it moved with exceeding
swiftness, vibrating its wings incessantly. In every respect it behaved
exactly like the Kingfisher I saw on the Thames early in August
and very unlike our own bird when engaged in fishing. I did
not catch sight of it again but about a mile lower down the 
river, on my return to the boat house & when very near it, I saw
another which just flitted across a narrow, willow-bordered reach and
then doubled back past me over the open meadows, skimming very low
& indeed only just above the tops of the grasses, in broad sunlight,
its blue back showing very distinctly. From what I have seen of
it I should say that this beautiful little species is one of
the very shyest of all British birds despite the fact that it
frequents rivers like the Cherwell where boats are incessantly passing
up and down. It avoids them by doubling back past them over
the land, as I have described, and by secreting itself in dense
foliage where they are not very near at hand.
Kingfishers
  I saw comparatively few birds this forenoon & heard still fewer.
One flock of Jackdaws, containing about 50 individuals, passed high
overhead & single ones were frequently in sight, as were Wood Pigeons, also.
From time to time I heard the flight call of Green Finches &
once that of three birds with deeply undulating flight which I