David Element
Wildlife
Photography and Digital Video Images
________________________________________________________________________________________________ Birds 35 – Common
Kingfishers
COMMON KINGFISHER Alcedo atthis (f)
COMMON KINGFISHER Alcedo atthis (m)
COMMON KINGFISHER Alcedo atthis (m)
COMMON KINGFISHER Alcedo atthis (m)
COMMON KINGFISHER Alcedo atthis (m)
COMMON KINGFISHER Alcedo atthis (m)
COMMON KINGFISHER Alcedo atthis (f)
COMMON KINGFISHER Alcedo atthis (f)
COMMON KINGFISHER Alcedo atthis (m)
COMMON KINGFISHER Alcedo atthis (m)
COMMON KINGFISHER Alcedo atthis (f)
COMMON KINGFISHER Alcedo atthis (m)
COMMON KINGFISHER Alcedo atthis (m)
- Common
Kingfishers Alcedo atthis
are particularly shy birds at the best of times and all that the observer
usually sees is a brilliant metallic blue blur as the bird whizzes past at
high speed. Opportunities to photograph them are rare other than at
certain bird reserves at which artificial nesting banks have been provided
and where they may be observed from hides. However the photographer was in
the process of taking pictures of a Eurasian
Jay Garrulus glandarius in a tree overhanging a
river when he heard the distinctive call of a Kingfisher approaching and
this led to a situation in which the first of this series of photographs
could be captured. Luckily this female bird settled on a branch in clear
view and several pictures were taken before the chance was missed. She
then flew up to a higher branch and fortunately no further focussing
adjustment was required as a single in flight shot was grabbed with a
manual 400mm lens. The odds of this bird staying in focus, being well
enough lit and having the wings up all at the same time were remote,
although the digital camera was already pre-set at quite a high ISO
setting to cope with low winter sunshine and the depth of field and fast
shutter speed settings were therefore ideal for this photo. The picture
has been cropped as the subject's image was too near to the top of the
frame. An orange lower mandible is a characteristic of female Common
Kingfishers. Male birds possess black lower mandibles.
- David’s
short film of Common Kingfishers
may be seen at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9RfLfhMJUs&list=PL4AirIEc0NodqeZdtp_567wjjG7S6vPGy&index=10&t=0s.
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