When I’m photographing this male kingfisher I’m often holding my breath.
A recent unfortunate trend happened again yesterday. After five straight days of overcast that kept me from going shooting, we finally had a bright and sunny morning. But of course, I had two early morning medical appointments that prevented me from getting into the field.
After I got home all I could do to take advantage of the rare good light was make a quick trip to one of the several local ponds I frequent and hope to get lucky.
1/6400, f/5.6, ISO 320, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
Thankfully, I found my old friend the male Belted Kingfisher fishing from his favorite perch over the pond. I caught him diving after a fish twice, before a woman and her two dogs, one of them unleashed, came along and scared him off. The first time he took off away from me but this time he launched in a direction that allowed me to get several shots I like.
Here he’d taken off from the nearly horizontal branch in the upper right corner of the frame.
1/6400, f/5.6, ISO 320, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
Two shots in the burst later he’d nearly passed some additional branches below him and he was on his way. He missed the fish but it wasn’t for lack of trying.
But what we see here isn’t an accurate representation of what I saw through my viewfinder.
Some readers will likely recognize the fishing line and leaded split shot that was hanging down from one of those branches (I removed them in the previous version of the same photo). In a blog post about this same kingfisher nearly 6 weeks ago, Donald J. Kaleta pointed out that it’s fishing gear.
I’m becoming increasingly nervous about that stuff. When the kingfisher is at the pond he’s nearly always fishing from one of the two larger branches at the top of the first photo above so when he dives after a fish he often passes very close to the fishing line. How close he comes to it depends on his angle of dive and I’m fearful that one day he’ll become snagged in it.
I’ve tried to figure out a way I can remove the line from the branch but I just don’t think it’s possible. I repeat, I don’t think it’s possible. Or at least practical. I doubt it can even be seen without some very powerful optics like my 500 mm lens with attached teleconverter.
So every time I visit the pond I do so with trepidation. I hate fishing line.
Ron
Suggestion. If that pond is at a city park, call the city? Maybe they will send someone out?
We’re you at Millrace Park? I walk my dog there (on leash) almost every afternoon and a kingfisher is usually there. I have only one decent shot of him in foliage but always miss the dive.
When I saw your title I immediately thought about the fishing line hazard, as I had often seen them hanging over the canal in the heron rookery near our ex-Florida home. Some had hooks and lures attached as well. When one with a lure disappeared I feared a heron had been snagged.
Sensational series Ron! Thanks for sharing!
Charlotte Norton
Thanks, Charlotte.
From the sublime (the Belted Kingfisher) to the ridiculous (the line, the lead, and the M&*%?#F@+!?# who left it so it could get tangled there).
Marty, it’s ridiculous to even try to fish in that pond. The largest fish in it are invasives less than 3″ long.
That first shot brings to mind “faster than a speeding bullet” — he’s really cranking there! Since it is his favorite fishing perch, he could be well aware of that line, but IDK if it telegraphs “danger” to him. Would that Granny Pat’s agile youngster could shimmy up to just cut off the branch itself (an easier target), but still no guarantee it wouldn’t just get caught on branches below. So I’ll just keep fingers X’d your KF friend (and all the other feathered ones) stay safe. 🙂
“he’s really cranking there!”
He sure was, Chris. It’s amazing how fast they can accelerate from a dead stop. Which is one of the reasons that kingfishers, especially in flight, were a nemesis of mine for so many years.
I suspect our feathered friend is aware of the line. But it might not be aware of the degree of hazard potential.
Michael, I think it’s a real danger to him.
Despite or because he’s got a bird brain, I suspect he knows to avoid the line, as opposed to the human brain who put it there in the first place. One worries, though, about other unsuspecting birds flying by.
Interesting that his crest is raised in the first photo and not the other. Speed and/or diving maneuver?
“Speed and/or diving maneuver?”
I’m sure it’s mostly the latter, Lyle. Even birds on the water flatten the feathers on top of their head just before diving.
So many emotions as I (very early here) view this post. LOVE the kingfisher (who I believe is smaller than our kookaburra). Loathe the fishing gear. How I wish that more of us learned to retrieve our gear. I hope your medical appointments went well.
Our kingfishers are quite a bit smaller, EC – 5 oz. as compared to 11 oz.
Yes, fishing line is the devil, and people who leave it lying around are his close relatives. (Sorry.)
It’s nasty stuff for birds, that’s for sure.
I think a drone could get it. If I had one I would meet you down there to take care of it. Let me see what I can dig up.
An interesting thought, Brad. I don’t know a lot about drones but I’d be surprised if it would work. The other issue is that I suspect a drone would create pandemonium among all the other birds on the pond. I don’t even know if drones are legal there.
Got it Ron. Always glad to see your Kingfisher friend. Nice shots. I see fishing line tangled around some of the favorite trees that the eagles perch on and also same for the large snag tree all the cormorants use. And I see tangled lines and markers on many trees around our lakes where casts have gotten tangled and just left there.
That stuff seems to be almost everywhere, Everett. A sad commentary on humans.
Love these shots, esp the 2nd one. The third shot does give me the shivers because of that tangle threat. This is where a youngster old enough to handle a sharp knife but small and agile enough to climb the tree and cut the line would be nice in theory even if that’s not a practical idea in real life.
Granny Pat, “practical” is the key word with any option I can think of to remove the fishing line. Or perhaps I should say “impractical”.
Wow he is so cool ! I’m fairly certain I saw him in the big tree behind our house yesterday, just resting. I kept thinking of the kookaburra for some reason. 😂
Kimmy, that would be amazing to see him in our (shared) neighborhood. I hope you’re right.
I think that they belong to the same family?
Francis, Belted Kingfishers and Kookaburras are in different subfamilies but you’re right, they’re in the same family – Alcedinidae. Kookaburras are a type of tree kingfisher.
I really admire your shot #1 in this post, and think that the shadow of the twig across his abdomen adds interest ( almost looks like a “marking” ). That
fishing line surely does pose a threat. Do you know an accomplished archer ?
Even if the arrow ended up tangled in the line, it would give birds a visual
clue large enough that they’d avoid that branch…..
Kris, it’s interesting, and funny, that you like that shadow. It drives me a little nuts… 🙂
NICE shots, Ron. 🙂 Those stubby legs always impress me seeming SO out of place. Beautiful wings in the 2nd shot.
Damn fishing line it almost as bad as barbed wire at times with the havoc it can create…… 🙁
Think World Press is having some “issues”. Yesterday, I believe, Smerconish couldn’t get posted until way late in the day either. The “joys” of technology…. 😉
Judy, I’m guessing this was an internet issue rather than WordPress. I think I just lost my connection briefly, for long enough to prevent the emails from going out.
Good comparison between fishing line and barbed wire.