I have spent the last few weeks trying to get down to check up on a local pair of kingfishers as often as possible. On thursday and friday the adults were still busy feeding chicks inside the nest chamber. I went down this morning only planning on spending an hour or 2 at most but immediately heard the commotion of 3-4 chicks calling loudly. The young birds were mostly spread out in different corners of the pond but occasionally came together when an adult returned with a fish. They were very approachable and often sat quite high above the water in the open, though usually still stayed in the shadows. The calls weren't as sharp as the adults, and plumage was noticably drabber especially on the breast. The bills were still quite short and all the young showed a small white tip. Tried a bit of sketching, but spent a lot of time just watching and trying to get a few photos.

 Because the chicks spent most of their time sitting squat, I tried to take my time and do some detailed notes. For a few minutes after an adult returned with a fish, they would remain quite animated and constantly flexed their wings in preparation for darting to the next adult to return. In the afternoon one of the chicks repeatedly dove into the water seemingly trying to catch a feather floating on the surface, wet and matted crown feathers were all it achieved!

 Adult female with a fish.

 Two fledged young keeping an eye on eachother.

 Waiting for dinner.

The short bill and white tip were striking after watching the adults for so long.