This gallery contains 2 photos. Out on a limb (literally!) is this gorgeous female Belted Kingfisher. Although their rattling battle cry has become a familiar sound to my ears, it’s not easy to get a photo of the Belted Kingfisher in repose. By the time I’ve heard this well-dressed fisher, it’s usually in motion, diving from its perch on a powerline or tree limb in a local wildlife habitat into the waters below to snag some unwitting piece of sushi. This lady was an exception, sitting quietly on a branch in the evening sun for several minutes before flying off to her next meal.
I didn’t know Belted Kingfishers had white spots in front of their eyes. Must be beauty marks. 😉
f/8, 1/400, 500mm, ISO 200
Her crest is down in the above photo. When she had it up in the shot below, it looked like the human equivalent of a raised eyebrow (with no eyebrows, birds use body language and headgear, if any, to telegraph their emotions and state of mind). I tend to encounter the female Belted Kingfishers more than the blue and white coloured males (and I do consider the females to be the prettier of the genders, with their blue (top) and reddish brown (bottom) necklaces). My subject, however, appeared to have two reddish brown necklaces with only flecks of slate blue colour on the top one.
The rockstar “hair”, big head, and stabbing bill are Belted Kingfisher trademarks.
f/11, 1/400, 500mm, ISO 640
Although the ones I’ve encountered in Metro Vancouver are generally not skittish (surprisingly!), Belted Kingfishers are not birds who pose for photographers (this one was an exception), nor are they curious about humans in such a way that they would approach us to take a look. Bird blinds, camouflage apparel, and a great deal of patience are required to stake out their fishing locales, which may also include golf course trees with water hazards. Photographed on July 31 at Coquitlam’s Colony Farm Regional Park. Learn more about Belted Kingfishers by visiting their Cornell Lab of Ornithology allaboutbirds.org profile.
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Well captured, you must be pleased, what a strikingly coloured bird.
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thank you, Susan! this is the only species of kingfisher we see up here in these parts. I’m envious of Australia, who has quite a few difference species, and of course, U.K. with the brilliantly colored Common Kingfisher.
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Beautiful shot. Congratulations!
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thank you, Takami!
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Beautiful shots. After two days of trying to get shots, I would argue they are skittish.
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I’ve tried for 1.5 years to get a photo of one. I photographed this female without benefit of blinds or camouflage, and she was well aware of the photographers in her midst. I guess I should say that my experiences with kingfishers have not shown them to be naturally skittish. Perhaps the ones here are really used to seeing humans! 🙂
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Lovely images .. We have a kingfisher or two often about, but they are so difficult to photograph .. I have given up 😃
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they certainly know how to hide themselves in the trees! and once they’re in motion, it’s pretty much a lost cause. 🙂
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I know what you mean …
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I’ve never seen a kingfisher before. Thanks for the introduction – it is certainly a gorgeous one!
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Belted Kingfishers are the one species of kingfisher that can be found in every U.S. state and most of Canada, too. They’re year round in Metro Vancouver, and we generally see one every fifth or sixth birding adventure we go on. If you visit your local wildlife areas or lakes, you may get to watch one (or even two) in action. Even if you can’t capture the moment with a camera, it is such a breathtaking experience to watch them hunt — they are superb hunters!
http://ebird.org/ebird/map/belkin1?neg=true&env.minX=&env.minY=&env.maxX=&env.maxY=&zh=false&gp=false&ev=Z&mr=1-12&bmo=1&emo=12&yr=cur
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