People urged to stay away from nesting kingfishers

Signs have been put up around nature reserve's wetland to try and prevent the nesting birds being disturbed.

If dogs or humans disturb the kingfishers at Smallbrook Meadows in Warminster they could leave their nests.

Andy Dunn, from Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, said that the "beautiful bird" is usually quite hard to see, being very fast.

He explained many of the rivers in the south Wiltshire area are hard chalk, so kingfishers cannot burrow into the banks to nest, but the wetland that makes up Smallbrook is soft.

Wetlands are rare in Wiltshire and kingfishers like sandy banks.

"We potentially have higher numbers in that area than we would on other chalk streams in the area," added Mr Dunn.

"They're just a beautiful bird to look at. They're incredibly enigmatic - you're much more likely to hear it than you are see it," said Mr Dunn.

"They tend to be a blue flash streaking down the river," he added, saying you have to be patient to see one, but when people do it is "magical".

Mr Dunn told the the BBC that once eggs have been laid, the birds sit on up for up to 25 days, feed the chicks for three to fours weeks and once they are fully fledged will still be looking after them for a week or so before they are safe to leave the nest.

"All that time the parents will be desperately trying to get to the nest."

If there is too much disturbance, especially from dogs, they will abandon it if it seems too unsafe to carry on.

They will land on a nearby branch before going in, to make sure a predator is not following them and they can be "discreet".

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