![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/belted-kingfisher-2843-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"belted-kingfisher-2843-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\nYesterday I had a good morning in the mountains. I documented interesting behaviors from several species and I was even able to get a few photos I like.<\/p>\n
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1\/2500, f\/5.6, ISO 800, 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 male Belted Kingfisher taking off from a branch over a stream is one of them. For my tastes I couldn’t ask for a takeoff posture I like better. We have a great look at the kingfisher’s entire dorsal surface showing off all of his striking plumage patterns and colors, there’s light on his face and a catch light in his eye and as a bonus I even caught both of his alulae flared and separated from the rest of the wing each one is attached to. I also like the flared tail and the way it’s framed by the curved branch behind it.<\/p>\n That’s not to say everything’s perfect of course, it never is. I wish I’d been a little closer to the bird for slightly better detail (this photo is cropped to 40% of the original image) and there are a lot of busy branches and twigs in the background.<\/p>\n But I’m not complaining.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Note: It may look like this kingfisher is taking off to dive on a fish in the stream below but that’s not the case. He was being hounded by a hungry juvenile kingfisher for food and I believe he was simply trying to escape the pesky youngster. While they’re still in the nest the young birds are fed by their male parent at least twice as often as their mother feeds them so it seems logical that the recent fledglings would most often pester the male parent for food instead of the female.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Yesterday I had a good morning in the mountains. I documented interesting behaviors from several species and I was even able to get a few photos I like.<\/p>\n