Country diary: the kingfisher highway is deserted

Spetisbury, Dorset: As the river at the bottom of our garden swells during heavy rainfall, an otter appears and the kingfishers vanishThe river at the bottom of our garden is like a gigantic rain gauge. Normally it is a humble tributary, lurching past the garden almost grudgingly, with its head down, with barely the current to stir the duckweed. But after the deluges of the past few days, it has morphed into a confident swirl.Two things always happen when it gets into its macho flow. The first i