BRITISH KINGFISHER SPLASH
BRITISH kingfishers love to cool off by creating a splash. During the sizzling summer days these kings of the river enjoy hunting for fish AND indulge in a dip at the same time. Stunning pictures show how the charismatic kingfisher dive bombs at speeds of up to 25-miles-per hour to catch their little fish prey. Pre-press operator Mark Bridger, 44, from West Malling in Kent took to the pictures while he was out rambling in the countryside. There are between 5,000 to 8,000 breeding pairs of kingfishers living in Britain at any one time. They live in the whole of the British Isles except west Ireland, the Outer Hebrides and the edge of northwest Scotland
Other great stories
GOLDEN EAGLE FESTIVAL
RACING through the mountain range on horseback, the Kazakh people practice their ancient tradition of hunting with golden eagles .
TUNNEL FOR VICTORY
What lies beneath this building site? Britain's great hope of winning the pre-WW2 arms race against Nazi Germany .
UNUSUAL ANIMAL FRIENDSHIP
SAT ON top of a Brazilian turtle’s head, this little ladybird looks content as he studies his environment from a new height .
PEEK-A-BOO FISH: BRIT SNAPPER MAKES RARE FIND
A Brit photographer has captured one of the world's most camera-shy species of fish - during a game of underwater peek-a-boo .
NOT FIT FOR DOGS - RSPCA RESCUERS FIND ANIMALS IN SHOCKING FILTH
It's incredible to think anyone could live in such horrendous squalor - yet two men have been prosecuted for keeping their homes in such revolting conditions that it was no longer fit for their animals .
ABANDONED CALIFORNIAN GOLD RUSH TOWN
A once bustling gold rush town in Mono County, California now stands completed deserted .
WOMAN TOLD BY EMIRATES STAFF SHE’D BE ‘BANGED UP ABROAD’ OVER DIAZEPAM
A woman with a fear of flying claims she was humiliated after an Emirates airline staff member told her she could ‘go to prison for four years’ for possessing diazepam medication .
BAITBALL READY TO POP
LIKE A living balloon this baitball of sardines is ready to burst when threatened by a pointy nosed sailfish .
WOMAN CRUELLY NAMED ’TUMOUR GIRL’ FINDS LOVE
A woman who was cruelly called ‘tumour girl’ by bullies has finally found love .
TROUBLESOME PYLON MEETS EXPLOSIVE END
THIS is the EXPLOSIVE moment when a 50 metre high pylon came crashing down to earth in a rural field .
WOMAN BEATS BDD BY BECOMING UNDERWEAR MODEL
A woman who suffered from body dysmorphic disorder has overcome her illness by becoming a LINGERIE MODEL .
HYENA HAS THE LAST LAUGH
This brave Hyena finally catches his pray among the thousands of flamingos, Lake Nakuru, Kenya - OUTNUMBERED among thousands of flamingos, this bold hyena is not put off from hunting for a morning snack .