That’s lunch! See hungry birds go in for the kill in ‘amazing sight’ at Suffolk lakes

Fish was very much the meal of the day at Lackford Lakes on the Norfolk and Suffolk border, as these hungry birds went in for the kill on the hunt for a spot of lunch.

Nature enthusiast John Boyle captured what he described as the "amazing sight" mid-morning at the nature reserve north of Bury St Edmunds - just when cormorants, kingfishers and grebes are starting to feel a bit peckish.

Heading to one of the bird hides at the Suffolk Wildlife Trust site, he could immediately see a female kingfisher land in a tree eagerly watching the water - before describing a "flash of blue as she left her perch, disappeared below the surface, emerged with a fish and landed on a bare branch directly in front of the hide".

The 57-year-old, of Bentley, near Ipswich, added: "It took a while for her to stun and swallow the fish, allowing me to capture some memorable photos.

"That was an amazing sight and, within the hour, the same bird gave a repeat performance - in addition to a cormorant catching and eating two fish and a little grebe also dining on a couple of fish, with perch appearing to be dish of the day."

The 161-acre Lackford Lakes site is a hotchpotch of striking and colourful wildlife all year round, from the arrival of nightingales and warblers from Africa in the spring to damselflies and dragonfliesin the summer.

Gold and red colours mark the coming of autumn, with birds including shovelers, lapwings, goosanders, bitterns and goldeneyes depending on the lakes during the winter months.

Designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Lackford Lakes is open seven days a week and boasts bird hides, a 1.5km kingfisher trail and a visitor centre.

More information is available on the Suffolk Wildlife Trust's website.

Mr Boyle regularly takes nature photos, which he uploads onto his website.