{"id":170740,"date":"2026-01-27T06:14:18","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T13:14:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/?p=170740"},"modified":"2026-01-27T12:10:27","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T19:10:27","slug":"yesterdays-adventures-with-my-favorite-kingfisher","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2026\/01\/27\/yesterdays-adventures-with-my-favorite-kingfisher\/","title":{"rendered":"Yesterday’s Adventures With My Favorite Kingfisher"},"content":{"rendered":"

Most of my time in the field yesterday morning was spent trying to get diving and flight shots of the female Belted Kingfisher that hangs out along and near the Jordan River. Shooting conditions were difficult for a variety of reasons – it was very early in the morning so light was low and contrasty in the mixed shade caused by vegetation, the kingfisher was often backlit or partially side lit and she was never very close. But I was encouraged by ‘almost’ getting some photos that are so difficult to get I mostly gave up even trying years ago.<\/p>\n

For my entire bird photography career I’ve lusted after high quality photos of kingfishers emerging from the water with a fish after a dive. But those types of photos are so difficult to get, for so many reasons, I’ve always failed – even though I’ve tried countless times. Typically, depending on how you set up and anticipate, you have a chance at diving\/flight shots or fish\/emergent shots but not both. So, several years ago I mostly gave up even trying to get fish\/emergent shots and concentrated on much easier diving\/flight shots.<\/p>\n

But yesterday morning circumstances, instincts and luck allowed me to get some kingfisher fish\/emergent shots that ‘almost’ meet my requirements, so for the first time in years I’m encouraged to keep trying.<\/p>\n

The following photos document some of the highs and lows of my morning with my favorite kingfisher.<\/p>\n

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She was already there when I first arrived about 15 minutes before sunrise. This photo was taken a few minutes later, when sunlight was just beginning to reach her.<\/p>\n

At this point I was still after diving shots but she was facing away from me (this was the only time she turned her head to look back at me) so I figured that if she dived on a fish she’d probably take off away from me.<\/p>\n

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And that’s exactly what happened. I couldn’t even see where she hit the water but I heard the splash and when she came out she…<\/p>\n

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landed far away from me. With a fish. At least one of us was having some luck.<\/p>\n

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26 minutes later she caught another fish but I had no chance to get diving\/flight shots when she took off after it.<\/p>\n

This time she surprised me. Usually she gobbles down her fish immediately after landing with it. But this time she…<\/p>\n

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took off with it and landed on another far away perch before eating it. Here she’s flying so steeply it looks like a dive on a fish but as we can see, there’s already a fish in her bill. She landed so far away I didn’t even try to take photos of her as she ate the fish.<\/p>\n

At this point I was quite discouraged. None of my diving\/flight shots had turned out and she was staying far away from me. So just for the hell of it I…<\/p>\n

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swung my lens around and focused on the Great Blue Heron that was doing exactly nothing, mostly in shade.<\/p>\n

That was when my photographer’s instincts took over. I just happened to take my eye away from the lens for a moment and noticed the faraway kingfisher take off on a dive on another fish.<\/p>\n

Note – All of the following “spray and pray” grab shots are soft. But I think they’re sharp enough to appreciate the behavior and the action. And the fact that I came closer than I’ve ever come before to getting kingfisher fish\/emergent shots that meet my standards.<\/em><\/p>\n

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I was too late to catch her entering the water but I caught her coming out of it.<\/p>\n

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And yes, she’d caught a fish. I estimate that she only catches a fish about 25% of the time<\/p>\n

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This is probably my favorite shot of the imperfect series.<\/p>\n

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I got one more photo of her after this one but her flight posture is very similar to this and she was turned farther away from me.<\/p>\n

If you’ve never tried to get kingfisher fish\/emergent shots before you may wonder why I’m even a little bit excited to get photos that are this soft with the bird this far away. Well, it’s because these last four photos give me hope. And encouragement to keep on trying. Now I believe it can be done and even I might be able to do it.<\/p>\n

We’ll see how that goes.<\/p>\n

Ron<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sometimes spray and pray grab shots pay off. Or nearly so. (10 photos)<\/p>\n

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