Apparently, there are one hundred and fourteen types of kingfisher in the world. In England we have only one - the common kingfisher. They are small, speedy birds and notoriously difficult to photograph.
On Sunday, Shirley and I promenaded along the valley of The River Porter. Near Shepherd's Wheel there is a millpond that once powered the old water wheel. Tangled vegetation descends to the water's edge.
It was in this very pond that I snapped a grey heron back in April 2016 - go here.
Well on Sunday, Shirley spotted a flash of blue and orange in the sunshine on the opposite side of the pond. I took out my trusty bridge camera, resting my elbows on a metal pole and using the fullest zoom facility possible I managed to capture a few images of the kingfisher as he or she observed the pond before him/her.
You might say "Aw! What a cute bird!" but he was waiting there to kill. On a smaller scale, the creature's eyes and spear-like beak are as deadly as the grey heron's. Evolution has provided the kingfisher with characteristics that will assist the daily quest for survival.
These are not the best kingfisher pictures ever taken but given my relatively inexpensive Sony camera, I am happy enough with them. After all, I was probably twenty yards away from the bird.
At one thirty in the morning, not being able to sleep and full of a cold, this has cheered me up.
ReplyDeleteThank you Mr pudding.
As Blackburn Rovers beat Hull City at the weekend, I am afraid I have no sympathy Christina!
DeleteA bit harsh!😉
DeleteYou are right... Get well soon! (he says through gritted teeth).
DeleteWhat brilliant colours! And that IS quite a beak. It's probably a good thing you were so far away.
ReplyDeleteYour post tweaked my interest, as I thought I recalled our kingfishers being much larger - yours is half the size of our belted kingfisher and entirely different in colouration. Item of interest: your kingfisher, after catching a fish, smacks it against a hard surface to knock it unconscious, to make its body relax enough so the bird can swallow it whole! The things you learn when you're not even expecting it. Thanks for sending me down this particular internet rabbit hole.
ReplyDeleteWell - I didn't even know you had kingfishers in Nova Scotia so you have taught me something today!
DeleteThis is certainly a much more attractive bird than the kingfishers we have here.
ReplyDeleteEnglishmen are also much more attractive than Canadian men.
DeleteHe is a cute little guy and your picture is wonderful! Shirley has good vision to point him out from a distance. Now that I look at him again I can see that he does have shifty eyes that are ready for the kill!
ReplyDeleteThe eyes are aligned exactly with that pointed beak.
DeleteAnother item of interest: When the kingfisher dives to catch its prey, its third eyelid closes so it is actually diving blind!
DeleteAccording to a bird site, I should add.
DeleteGenuinely amazing.
DeleteWhat a beautiful bird! You managed to get a great photo against the odds. Kingfishers are interesting birds.
ReplyDeleteThey are indeed interesting. I once photographed a very different kind of kingfisher in the province of Goa in India.
DeleteKingfishers are the little jewels of the bird world in this country, you were lucky to capture it.
ReplyDeleteI might go down there again and look out for him/her. Maybe get an even better picture.
DeleteKingsfishers are a rare sight, and even rarer is the occasion for a good picture. Yours are good!
ReplyDeleteI am not entirely sure, but I believe I have seen a kingfisher in the wild only twice in my life. Once is recorded on my blog - photo included - and the other sighting was, I think, near Nunnington Hall in Yorkshire a few years ago.
If you like, compare my picture with yours; not for quality, but I think our kingfishers are the same as yours. Click here for the post.
Of course that should have been "Kingfishers" at the start of my comment, not "Kingsfishers"!
DeleteI went over and saw your kingfisher. Nice picture but it is a shame that you were unable to zoom right in.
DeleteFantastic pictures, YP. WE have one in our local park, but I have yet to see it. I help out in the information centre there and people are always telling me they've seen it, so it must exist. We've got herons galore and also some really colourful mandarin ducks on the lake. I'll have to post about it one day.
ReplyDeleteMandarin ducks are much easier to photograph but still gorgeous birds.
DeleteBirds are a disappointment, what with the rapey ducks, murderous kingfishers and thieving gulls!
ReplyDeleteGood capture, I like the jewel colours and I have a very soft spot for our Aussie laughing kingfusher
What's he laughing about?
DeleteI think it's quite a feat to get a shot of a kingfisher. They have a look of the kookaburra about them.
ReplyDeleteI agree. There is a certain similarity.
DeleteI am so ashamed. I have no idea if Florida has kingfishers or not. So I looked it up. We have the same as Jenny. The belted kingfisher. And I would not know one if it stabbed me in the face! Yours is very lovely. Once it again it reminds me of what direct descendants birds are to the dinosaur.
ReplyDeleteI am sorry to say this but your belted kingfisher looks as though it was designed by Hanna-Barbera!
DeleteWell, perhaps it was.
DeleteI had Kingfishers nesting in the bank behind The Cottage in New Zealand. They are quite amazing birds and wonderfully adapted to their way of life. And, of course, incredibly photogenic. Well done.
ReplyDeleteDid you have common kingfishers there or were they native kingfishers?
DeleteThe Australasian Kingfisher is the same family but a different genus. They are usually known as Sacred Kingfishers although often known in NZ as Kotaré (their Maori name).
DeleteThank you Graham. When New Zealand was The Garden of Eden, its birdlife must have been awesome - not a word I use very often.
DeleteI've only ever seen one in the wild , it was like watching a firework
ReplyDeleteThat's a good way of putting it. They flash and then they are gone.
DeleteHe needs to fend for himself so he can't be persecuted for having the natural desire to survive. We humans are as guilty.
ReplyDeleteHe is doing only what is natural...poor little fellow. :)
I admire him/her. Honed to perfection.
DeleteWow! What a lucky sighting! It's hard to even see kingfishers, much less get a picture of one. I don't think I've ever seen this variety in the wild.
ReplyDelete