There is a local spot to photograph Kingfishers.....................
Usually I avoid it because it involves hanging around and being bothered by mosquitoes and I always thought I could go there any time. The last couple of years it was monopolized by one photographer and I kind of gave up on it. But this morning there was nobody there and I thought why the hell not...............
There were at least 3 birds. Usually they were very wary and landed on the perch for only a second or two. I wasn't hidden but was standing still half behind some concrete.
One was unconcerned at least............yes they all look the same I know.
It dived and caught a fish but didn't come back to the same perch...........
I'd been here before but this was the first time with the 500 f4.
I made a very short video (a bit wobbly as it was on the monopod) of it coughing up some indigestible bit of fish..............
Kingfishers are one of the most popular subjects for bird photographers but this was pretty much the first time I got some halfway decent shots of one.
Nice work Stu. Don't think I've seen such mottling on a Kingfisher's breast but I'll be looking now. Seems like yours are as shy as our own are though. A few seconds is often all you get.
ReplyDeleteThanks Phil, maybe it was moulting?
DeleteThe mottling on the breast is new to me too. I don't have a whole lot of photographs of this species, which doesn't occur here of course, but none of them show mottling at all. I have a fabulous book called "The Kingfisher" by David Boag, but none of the images there show this feature either. First of all I assumed it was a juvenile bird, but in that case the bird should have dark feet and a white tip to the bill, neither of which appear to be present on your bird. Great series of pictures. I enjoyed them very much.
ReplyDeleteJudging by its fishing prowess at least it looked to be an adult...........
DeleteThese are FANTASTIC images and I wonder why the Kingfisher was reguriting.
ReplyDeleteI think it was something fishy that may have been difficult to pass out of the other end..........
DeleteSuper shots of an exquisite bird Stu.
ReplyDeleteThanks Derek!
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