Eagle-eyed Anna Sagona of Gapstile Close, Desborough, took a photo of the bird on Saturday afternoon (Feb 27).

And 11-year-old Jack Fitzpatrick took similar photos last week near to Tesco on The Square.

It comes a week after the Mail's photographer took a snap of a kingfisher a week before.

Anna said: "I took a photo of a kingfisher basking in the sun this afternoon (Saturday, Feb 27) on the banks of the River Welland, to the rear of Argos.

"Supposedly a shy bird, it had drawn quite a crowd on the St Mary's Place bridge all trying to catch a glimpse, but didn't seem to mind all the attention!"

A kingfisher with brightly-coloured blue and orange plumage was seen perched on a branch alongside the River Welland near KFC in St Mary's Place the saturday before.

Sightings of a kingfisher have been reported to the Mail over recent months, especially around Sainsbury's, but a picture has proved elusive.

The Mail's photographer Andrew Carpenter managed to snap the bird after spotting a group of people gathered together at midday.

"There was a crowd of about a dozen around the river using their mobile phones to take photos," Mr Carpenter said, "I wondered what was going on so went to have a look. The irony was that it wasn't far from the Kingfisher Lounge at the Working Men's Club."

The RSPB has listed kingfishers as having 'amber status', the second most critical group in conservation terms.

They are usually found around water courses as they use their long, sharp beaks to dive for fish in rivers.

Have you got any interesting photos for the Mail?

Email the news editor at alex.blackwell@harboroughmail.co.uk