![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/belted-kingfisher-9530-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"belted-kingfisher-9530-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\nThose incredibly short legs can be problematic at times.<\/p>\n
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1\/6400 (yes – too much SS), f\/6.3, ISO 640, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in <\/em><\/p>\n This is the male Belted Kingfisher I photographed about three months ago near the Jordan River. I miss my time spent with him but I think my kingfisher glory days are over for now. His favorite fishing pond dried up last fall for several weeks. There’s water in it again now and there\u00a0has been for some time but the kingfisher never spends time there so I suspect all the fish were killed when the water disappeared so he doesn’t hang around.<\/p>\n Like most photos this one has its strengths and weaknesses. I’m bummed by that looping branch at lower left because it’s soft and it obstructs part of his tail but I do like the calling pose, his erect crest and the sharpness and detail of the bird. And for me getting this close to a kingfisher is always a treat.<\/p>\n I also enjoy seeing those stubby little legs. If there’s a bird\u00a0with shorter legs relative to body size than Belted Kingfishers I don’t know what it is. I’ve heard it said that the reason they have such short legs is so they can negotiate their cramped burrows during breeding season but I’ve never been able to\u00a0confirm that.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/5000, f\/6.3, ISO 640, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n Extremely short legs can be problematic when you have an itch that need scratching. Here he’s been scratching the right side of his face but unlike most birds he\u00a0couldn’t just reach up with a foot to accomplish the job because his legs are too short. Instead he had to pull his head way\u00a0down to meet his foot.\u00a0In this shot\u00a0his head is coming back up after scratching\u00a0and we\u00a0get a glimpse of his black foot on the side of his body.<\/p>\n While he was actually scratching his body was in an amusing contorted position but his eye was closed and I didn’t like the angle on his face so I deleted those shots. Now I wish I’d\u00a0kept at least one of them.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Those incredibly short legs can be problematic at times.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/belted-kingfisher-9550-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"belted-kingfisher-9550-ron-dudley\\"")
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