A Couple of Hours with a Kingfisher

17th January 2022

It has been some time since I photographed a Kingfisher so off to a local chalk stream where one has taken up residence. The stream is in a beautiful location and meanders through a meadow and features both still pools and small races, both ideal for Kingfishers. It also attracts other fishermen such as Little Egrets.

A Grey Wagtail was also rooting around for tasty morsels in the marginal vegetation of the stream and provided some great photo opportunities when it had the dark mud as a background.

So what about the Kingfisher? Well it took a while but it did eventually appear and over the next couple of hours provided a few sequences in different settings. Here it is on the corner of a concrete block, one of its favourite fishing perches.

And here it is on a more natural perch.....................

..........................and I was lucky enough to get it taking off!!

Back on its concrete block and this time it caught a fish.

And here it it smashing the fish on the concrete block to subdue it, at the same time showing off the superb colouring of the crown feathers.

And to finish off the day a more artistic approach with the Kingfisher perched by a head of Great Reedmace or bulrush. That will do nicely!!!