Kingfisher!

i'd been pursuing a decent shot of a kingfisher for the last couple of years, but had never been able to get within 30 yards of one... very frustrating! but this past Saturday, my luck changed. i was at a local park, when i saw a kingfisher fly across a pond. i followed a footpath around the pond, looking for him, and was shocked - and pleased! - to find him perched on a willow branch about 10 feet above a brook, and no more than 15 feet from the path! i was able to slowly move closer, till i was about 25 feet away, then decided not to push my luck. i stopped and snapped about a dozen frames, then got greedy and tried to get a little closer. at that point, Mr. Kingfisher took wing, but i had my shots!!

Canon 30D, Sigma EX80-400 at 400mm, 1/400 @ f6.3...

Congratulations, Winston - a wonderful capture. And you're absolutely right about how difficult it can be to get close to kingfishers (regardless of which species). This looks to be in crisp focus, with good exposure (the white ring around the neck can be tough when there's bright sun!).

Out of curiosity - is this cropped, or full-frame?

In either case, nice work!

hi Don,

this was cropped vertically from a horizontal format shot; the original image is 3504x2336, and the crop which i resized to post here, is about 1660x1240.

Rocky

I like the picture. You were fortunate and your quest paid off. I imagine that one can attract the birds with suitable bait.

Would anyone ever drop some fresh fish as bait?

Asher

Asher,

would anyone drop fresh fish as bait? i dunno... i wouldn't, simply because carrying fresh fish in my camera bag really isn't an appealing option! in any case, i don't think kingfishers take fish off the ground. i've only ever seen them dive for live prey...

Rocky

Beautiful capture.
Nige