Today, I couldn't believe my luck. I returned to the same spot where I photographed the Little Egret last Saturday with the sole intention of trying to improve on what I already had, but the repeated visits of a Common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) took up most my attention for almost three hours. Their presence is often noted on the local nature reserve - there are two pairs in this particular stretch, I understand - and I usually only see them as blue and orange blurs as they fly low and fast across the river, but today is something special.
A local angler at my chosen location shows me a photo he took on his iPhone before I arrived of the bird perched on a piece of angle iron driven into the riverbed, that at one time supported a painted depth gauge board. He went on to say that the kingfisher often landed there so I decided a stake-out was worth the time. I got my first shots within five minutes of setting-up - the first time I have ever got anything of these birds - and was tempted to call it a day there and then. Surely I wouldn't get a better chance? I would have been - and was - sorely wrong, and the best opportunity came when the fisherman, disappointed that he had up to that point caught nothing, decided to move on and try his luck further along the bank.
Now able to move into the position that I had originally wanted to be in I only had to wait a short time before my quarry flew in again and I took the photographs shown here. Again, I couldn't believe how close I was to this normally shy bird, and several times I watched it dive and catch minnows, at one point landing no more that eight feet away from me.
The egret did put in an appearance and at one point I had the option to shoot either, but really there was no contest.
There are more images available to view in "Richard Brewer: Photography - an occasional series", under the 'Links' section of this blog.
300mm f/2.8 AF-S VR Nikkor with TC-14EII converter. ISO 400. Tripod
Top: 1/320 second at f/5
Below: 1/400 second at f/5
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