Deep-diving Kingfisher Shaking Mud Off Her Bill

When kingfishers dive for fish in shallow ponds they run the risk of bottoming out.

 

belted-kingfisher-6315b-ron-dudley1/5000, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in

That’s apparently what happened to this female Belted Kingfisher I photographed at a local pond this past spring. She dived for fish repeatedly (and was often successful) but this time when she returned to her perch all she had to show for her efforts was mud on the end of her bill. After feeding on a fish I saw her clean her bill several times by swiping it across the branch she was perched on but apparently that technique doesn’t work so well for mud so she…

 

 

belted-kingfisher-6316b-ron-dudley1/6400, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in

violently shook her head instead. That made water and mud go flying…

 

 

belted-kingfisher-6321b-ron-dudley1/4000, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in

and she ended up with a squeaky-clean bill again.

 

 

belted-kingfisher-6344b-ron-dudley1/4000, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in

A few seconds later she turned on her perch and flew off to fish from a different branch.

This was the most cooperative kingfisher I’ve ever photographed. I had three extended sessions with her over several days before she presumably became involved in nesting activities and after that I rarely saw her and only from a distance.

It was great fun while it lasted.

Ron

PS – We’re having “technical problems” with our blogs this morning. Readers may or may not notice it on your end…

 

24 Comments

  1. Wonderful!

  2. Don’t you ever wonder how shaking their head like that doesn’t scramble their brains? I also wonder how raptors can scratch their heads without slicing it open. I think about things like that 🙂
    Patty I’m so glad your family escaped tragedy. Serendipity is often a very good thing. ((((HUGS))))

  3. Wonderful series Ron, thanks for sharing!

  4. Oh what fun.
    I hope your technical glitches are a thing of the past.
    And am still smiling at the Kingfisher. As always, thank you.

  5. How fun, Ron!!!!! Great captures!!!

  6. This bird has made me smile every time you post photos of her. The closest I’ve ever been to a Kingfisher was when one was flying back and forth over a dam as I was climbing the rocks to get to the top of the dam (while guiding a tour at the park). Needless to say, there was no opportunity to photograph it. However, it was nice to see one up so close in the middle of the desert. I find myself wondering what they fish for at our park. The only thing we have is several kinds of small, freshwater shrimp.

    • Susan, In addition to fish they’re also known to eat “molluscs, crustaceans, insects, amphibians, reptiles, young birds, small mammals, even berries”. Crustaceans would, of course, include shrimp.

  7. Not only does that technique clean her bill, it has the added benefit of keeping that “punker” thatch on top standing straight up …. I was amused
    to see a clockwise whorl on the crown after her little performance !

  8. Wonderful portraits of an elusive lady…especially like the before and after pictures, but also like the blurred action one with flying mud and water drops…as I told Mia, nice things to focus on this horrible anniversary (our oldest daughter decided to call us before heading to work. It saved her)….

    • I’d never heard that story about your daughter, Patty. Wowsers!

      • To this day, beautiful, cloudless, super blue sky September days, make us all, but especially our daughter, Debby, uneasy….sometimes we realize why, other times we don ‘t…at leastvat the moment……

        • Debby’s husband had worked for Cantor-Fitzgerald and would have been in his Trade Tower office, but his division had been closed and he had been let go a few weeks before…at the time, the loss of his job seemed like a blow. Just shows you never know when a “bad” turn of events is really good luck….

  9. Wonderful captures! 🙂 The Kingfishers are NEVER that cooperative here! About the time I get focused in off they go and they are usually at a good distance to begin with! Hadn’t thought about the possible ramifications of shallow water for them.

    • “About the time I get focused in off they go”

      And they chatter at you as they go just to rub it in a little. Been there, done that more often than I want to remember!

  10. Isn’t it grand to have a very cooperative Kingfisher!
    Beautiful shots!
    Thanks for sharing.

  11. One of my favorite birds to watch and photograph. They always seem to be posing.

  12. I love these

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