Belted Kingfisher

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Belted Kingfisher
Of all the birds I have the opportunity to photograph frequently, Belted Kingfishers are the ones that I have highest percentage of photographs I throw away.  They're small, and they are generally not willing to stay anywhere near you, even if you're in a car.  I think they're such fantastic birds, so whenever I see them I try to get as close as I can, but it's very rare that I get close enough to have photos that I would want to present to others, or even keep.

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Belted Kingfisher
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Belted Kingfisher
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Belted Kingfisher

It's fun just to watch them, though.  They fly up high and almost hover over an area of water and then dive bomb the fish they want to catch.  When they miss, they often start the project all over again.  If they catch the fish, then off they go to a nice branch to consume the fish.  If you're lucky enough to see one catch a panfish, you may see something very interesting.  The kingfisher will repeatedly slap the fish on a branch both to kill the fish but also to break the spines that are found on the dorsal fins of panfish.  It's quite entertaining to watch.  One day I photographed a kingfisher do this with a large fish for 5 or 10 minutes before finally swallowing the fish.  I'll share with you a couple photos from that experience, but to be honest, I don't care for them too much.  The lighting wasn't right, the bird was far away, facing the wrong way, etc.  But in reality, the experience reminded me more that the experiences we can have birding are valuable even we don't come home with great photos.

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Belted Kingfisher
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Belted Kingfisher
Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug
Belted Kingfisher

Comments

  1. You captured some pretty cool images of this awesome bird. I think a super telephoto lens and a blind within your lens distance at favored perch is about the only way to get close.

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  2. Yes, one of these days I'll invest in a blind. Of course, getting an 800mm f/5.6 lens with a Canon 1Dm4 would be nice too. A little more pricey, though :-)

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