This kingfisher has been trying my patience.
I’ve been seeing a female Belted Kingfisher from a distance when I visit a particular area on and near the Jordan River. Typical of kingfishers she’s spooky as hell, so each time I visit I alter my stalking strategy in hopes of getting closer.
Six days ago she finally allowed me to get a little closer while she was fishing. She was still too far away for good detail on perched shots but I figured that if I could catch her in flight as she dove on a fish, her outspread wings might fill enough of the frame to give me some photos I like reasonably well. And if I could keep her in frame and in focus during a dive, the closer she got to the fish she was after the closer she’d be to me.
It worked, up to a point. On this dive I got 11 sharp shots of her after she took off after a fish. Today I’m presenting 5 of the 11 shots in the order they were taken – the five where her wings were spread enough to fill more of the frame.
At first her dive was pretty steep.
This flight posture shows her working hard to gain speed.
But then the fish she was after must have disappeared in the depths because she began to pull out of the dive and…
abandon her attempt, as indicated by her nearly horizontal flight path in this final shot. At this point, because my lens had been following her at a steeper angle, I began to cut off body parts at the top of the frame. She ended up landing in a faraway tree without diving into the water.
Since that morning six days ago I’ve found her four more times but each time she was either too far away, or she flew off as I approached or she was buried in twigs and branches.
I intend to keep trying.
Ron
Persistence and Patience are key!
Sensational series Ron! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Charlotte.
Fun series. Nice to have the pond and the river so close to home for photo journeys. Hope your back is doing better and you are up north on a longer drive this morning.
That’s exactly where I was this morning, April. You know me well.
Yet again, no email and your post is not in my reader. Fortunately Judy’s comment (and only hers) showed up in my email.
I love this series and mourn for the bird that this dive at least was unsuccessful. I hope that she (and you) have better luck in the future.
Echoing eveyone else on the eye front.
Not to worry, EC – she caught a different fish soon after she failed in this attempt.
Since no one else is saying that they aren’t getting my post emails, I’m beginning to wonder if it might be a problem on your end. If you haven’t already, it might be worth trying to resubscribe to my blog?
I will give it a try – though ‘some’ mornings it works as it should.
I tried and it tells me I am already subscribed. Big sigh.
Impressive series, Ron! 🙂 I hear more than see them in recent years since their favored perch over the creek finally did a creek dive. Is funny when they tear through the yard screaming all the way.
I, also, have been wondering about the eye…….
Glad you like it, Judy. See my response to Melanie below about the progress of my eye.
She is lovely! I’m sorry she didn’t get her breakfast on that try, but happy for us (and a testament to your skills!) that you shot this fabulous series. Hopefully, she’ll start to get used to your presence and become a little more sticky.
I’m always amazed at the wingspan to body length ratio in Belted Kingfishers and marvel at their ability to fold those huge appendages when not in use.
“Hopefully, she’ll start to get used to your presence and become a little more sticky.”
That’s exactly what I’m hoping for, Marty. It may have already begun (her becoming more sticky) but it’s a slow gradual process, if it happens at all.
That is quite an accomplishment Ron. You need hair-trigger reflexes to get these Kingfishers diving or taking off. Not like an easy job such as getting eagle takeoffs. They are so hard to get close to. Twice over many years I have gotten very close to one only because they were so fixated on a fish that they ignored my presence.
Good job.
Thanks, Everett. I’ve only been able to get “very close” to a kingfisher a couple of times myself.
Nice photos. They are so quick and have a unique flying style.
Don’t know how you manage to keep it in frame. Got to love Kingfishers.
Like Melanie asked; how goes the eye?
“Don’t know how you manage to keep it in frame.”
Michael, it helped in that regard to not be very close to her – a tradeoff for getting less detail.
See my reply to Melanie below regarding my eye.
Beautiful photos!! I love Kingfishers and, since I live in NC, I usually hear them rather than see them. Wonderful series, Ron. How is your right eye? Still improving?
Thanks, Melanie.
The eye is doing wonderfully. When I saw my surgeon a few days ago he said it’s “doing great”. It’s an absolute joy to be able to see this well again. And the doc said it should continue to improve for the next couple of weeks.
Fan-freaking-tabulous news, Ron! 💜
❤️