On this day I decided on another visit to the Kingfisher location that has featured on three of my previous posts. It was a sunny afternoon, but I'd had other things to do so it was mid-afternoon when I arrived. Nothing of interest was visible from the first hide so I carried on to the second hide and sat there for a while, chatting to gentleman who had been there for quite a while and seen nothing.
After probably about an hour my companion declared that he would set off homeward, but call into the first hide on his way back. I stuck it out for perhaps another quarter of an hour before setting off myself as the sun was starting to go down and light conditions were getting a bit difficult. As I approached the first hide my earlier companion beckoned to me - he'd got a Kingfisher sitting on a post.
There are three posts in front of the hide and they are all just under 20 metres from the hide. The left-hand post is of medium height, the middle post is very short and is only just visible above the grass bank in front of the hide, and the right-hand post is tall. When I arrived, the Kingfisher (a female) was on top of the tall right-hand post. Sadly, with the sun now low and golden, this post was totally shaded by the nearby trees whilst the background was still in full golden sun. This presented an interesting photographic challenge which I partially manage to rise to.
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| Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) (female) - Leicestershire |
She fished from this post for a while before heading down to the far end of the pond and disappearing from sight. For the next quarter of an hour we had fleeting glimpses before she returned in front of the hide, landing on the middle post, which was in sun. I eventually managed to find a spot in the hide from which, if I stood on tip-toe, I could get a shot without the bird being obscured by the intervening grass. With the golden light on her, the blue plumage took on a somewhat greener hue than I usually see.
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| Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) (female) - Leicestershire |
Fortunately she only fished from this middle post for a short while, before moving to the left-hand post, which was also in sun, giving the greenish hue to her plumage.
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| Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) (female) - Leicestershire |
After this she returned to the right-hand post before disappearing to the nearby brook.
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| Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) (female) - Leicestershire |
It had been another spellbinding session in the presence of this wonderful bird. I think that this will be my last Kingfisher post - for this year at least!
Thank you for dropping by. I suspect that my next post might feature an alien!!
Magic pictures! Have a nice evening
ReplyDeleteThank you, Anne. It was a pleasant, if lazy, evening! Best wishes - - Richard
DeleteBravo pour les photos !
ReplyDeleteMerci beaucoup, Nadezda!
DeleteThe Kingfisher is beautiful photos, I am humbled by you Richard.
ReplyDeleteDear Bob. You, of all people, should never feel humbled by anyone, especially not me. You are a pillar of inspiration to all that come into contact with you. The situation is reversed - it is me that is humbled! With my warmest best wishes - - Richard
DeleteThis really is the golden hour. The shot with the water droplets is perfect.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Adrian. It was a difficult but most rewarding session. Best wishes - - Richard
DeleteLove these photos Richard and the background light and the colour effect on the feathers adds to the interest. It is a long time since I have seen a kingfisher and I am really jealous of these shots.
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend, best wishes and cheers, Diane
Thank you, Diane. For most of us in UK, Kingfishers are a relatively unusual sight too - unless you know where to look for them.
DeleteI hope that you too have a great weekend. We're bracing ourselves for Storm Brian. With my best wishes - - - Richard
WOW those 2 first photos with the bird against that kind of background are the best possible!
ReplyDeleteA pity she didn't stay longer.
Thanks for your kind thoughts, maybe all those gentile virtual hugs are going to make my rib better!!! LOL!!!
Take good care and share my hugs with Lindsay ;-))))
Thank you for those kind words, Noushka. I hope I'llget more opportunities like this sometime.
DeleteTake good care. With my very best wishes - - - Richard
I meant gentle not gentile!! Those spelling checkers are silly!! LOL!
ReplyDeleteJust in case you would read my reply on blog since I don't reply very often!...
DeleteHahaha!! You really got me laughing out loud!!
I'll have ribs alright as long as it is not one of mine! LOL!!!
About Bass d'Oles, I guess it is the same place, there is only one with that name.
And I also guess the dam must have been built or reorganized more recently than 30 years ago.
A great place for mountain butterflies and altitude dragons in the few peatbogs around!
Enjoy your ribs, if you really intend on having them!!!
All my best Richard, wish I could meet the 2 of you one day and have good laughs... Such a pity what happened 2 years ago... We were nearly there.
At least it only added in one 'i'. If two it could have been even more amusing - wink,wink!
DeleteChange of plan - I'm cooking Beef Stiffado tonight. Ribs will have to wait!
DeleteAn interesting study indeed, Richard. I realize that photographers always hope for perfect light, but less than ideal conditions challenge the skill of the person wielding the camera, and result in views that might otherwise not be realized. The play of light on the plumage of this bird is a perfect example. Great job!!
ReplyDeleteThank you for those kind words, David. I confess that I did have to do quite a lot of adjustment in order to get those images into that condition!
DeleteWith love to you both - - - Richard
Hello Richard, these are amazing captures of the Kingfisher, and indeed wonderful light.
ReplyDeleteRegards, Roos
Thank you, Roos. I was delighted to have that session with this bird.
DeleteI hope that all is well with you. Take good care - - - Richard
Fascinating comparisons on the different lighting for the Kingfisher. I'm really drawn to the golden backdrop of the first two as it's different and works well in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteI was a bit worried about the light in those first two, Doug, but the effect grew on me. I still think I might be able to improve those two a bit if I worked on them, but decided it was a step too far!
DeleteBest wishes - - Richard
What a great display of the King in residence,you have done him proud.
ReplyDeleteJohn.
Thank you, John. I'm beginning to miss those birds!
DeleteBest wishes - - - Richard
Hi Richard,
ReplyDeleteWowwwww ............. this is really beautiful to see.
Beautiful colors and background.
My compliments.
Thank you, Helma. This was a very special photo session for me. However, I think that your Kingfisher images are better than mine!
DeleteWith my best wishes - - - Richard