The wait is over! It has been three years since I wanted to photograph a kingfisher. I had chased one near a pond close to our old house, but all I heard was its call. This month, I got a text from my neighbor alerting me that there was one behind our house, perched on a tree stump on the other side of the pond. It was late afternoon, and the light was not good for bird photography. I was photographing against the setting sun.
The next morning, after I meditated on the deck, I looked across the pond and saw Captain Blue. Yes, I named this male Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon). For several minutes, I watched it take turns flying all around, diving into the pond, and making that piercing rattle that kingfishers do. It is unmistakable. On one of the burst photos I captured, you can even see his tongue.
The site All About Birds says these birds seem “to have an air of self-importance.” That is right on the money. An interesting fact about kingfishers is that they are one of the few bird species in which the females are often more colorful than the males. Females tend to have an orange/chestnut band around their chest. Belted Kingfishers can be found along ponds, streams, and shorelines in North America.
That is the story behind the shots. If you liked this post, you may also be interested in others featuring Bird of the Week, Teravista, Texas, and Wildlife. Until the next time, keep clicking and capturing the beauty your eyes find.
For I.J. Khanewala’s Birds of the Week Invitation CXLV.
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Tra Italia e Finlandia
Sono uccelli bellissimi!
Egidio Leitao
Sì, davvero. Grazie.
Rebecca Cuningham
Wonderful kingfisher shots. Congrats! Have you read Better Living Through Birding by Christian Cooper? I’m reading it right now. He’s quite a good writer.
Egidio Leitao
Thanks for the feedback and the book suggestion. I’ll check it out.
Rebecca Cuningham
He’s a well rounded guy. I’d like to check out the Star Trek Starfleet Academy comics he’s written.
Rupali
A lovely shot.
I have seen quite many kingfisher birds during my recent my recent visit to India. Almost in every frame they were seen sitting on electric cables. Sadly I didn’t manage to have one decent photo.
Pamela Zmija ~ Artist & Intuitive
Beautiful capture, may I say even perfection with the composition! Awesome
Bob Ramsak
Ha! He does have that look. I felt some self-importance back in the day when I had a similar hairstyle.
Egidio Leitao
Thanks for the comment, Bob.
Hammad Rais
Nice to meet you, Captain Blue!
Egidio Leitao
Thanks, Hammad.
Toonsarah
I love kingfishers and this one is a beauty! And so well captured too, especially the third shot 🙂
Egidio Leitao
Thanks, Sarah. It took me three years to get to this point. Although there are lots of rivers and streams, I could never find a kingfisher.
boromax
Fabulous! Well done! Thank goodness for an alert neighbor willing to give you a call, too! ~Ed.
Egidio Leitao
Thanks, Ed. My neighbor knows I photograph a lot of the wildlife behind our house.
solaner
well done!!!!
Egidio Leitao
Thank you.
margaret21
Your kingfishers are so different from ours. That crest does indeed make yours rather regal.
Egidio Leitao
Margaret, yes, another blogger posted a link here showing kingfishers in your area. They are indeed very different. I wonder if the crest we see in my photos was a reaction to something. I’ve seen a crest in some herons when they detect or hear sounds nearby.
bish
Excellent captures of a remarkable and beautiful bird. Compare with our European Kingfisher, from a couple mod years ago; darker but equally lovely. https://rosher.net/2022/11/25/the-royal-family/
Is this the male, or is the gender not indicated through the colour of the lower mandible?
Egidio Leitao
Wow, Mark! Those kingfishers are gorgeous and certainly more colorful. I’m not a birder, so I can’t answer your question. What I wrote seems to apply only to Belted Kingfishers.
shoreacres
I still haven’t managed a photo of one. Their rattling call is unmistakable, and rather common in one of my work locations. For several years I’ve seen one perched on a wire along a certain county road, but there’s simply no place to pull off, so I just greet it as I drive by. They are beautiful birds, but feisty!
Egidio Leitao
Feisty: yes, that is an excellent word to describe them. I heard one once at a local park, but never saw it. In January this year, I saw one at a local park, but he was too far for a good shot. This time, I lucked out he came here.
Vicki
Still a great shot even if you were looking into the sun. By the time I get out the door (occasionally) it’s always looking into the sun late afternoon so I know how you feel about photographing under those conditions.
Egidio Leitao
Vicki, those shots were taken the next morning. Pardon me if I confused you. My explanation after the first shot probably was confusing. Thanks for writing.
Terri Webster Schrandt
Stunning capture, Egidio! Perfect lighting, such a beautiful bird. We have these here in the Spokane area, as evidenced by some pics I’ve seen on Facebook. Thanks for adding those facts!
Egidio Leitao
Terri, thank you for writing. I had to wait until the next day to capture those photos in the morning sun.
Terri Webster Schrandt
It was worth every effort! 👏
Lakshmi Bhat
So beautiful. The kingfishers we see here in coastal south India have some more coloors or maybe I am seeing the female ones. Thank you.
Egidio Leitao
Thanks for the comment. It could be different species of kingfishers. I’ve also seen more colorful ones in some other posts here.
wrookieschu
Stunning photo Egidio of a beautiful bird.
Egidio Leitao
Thanks for the feedback, Wayne.
Lindy Le Coq
Great shots, Egídio. When we visited the San Juan Islands, I would often see the Belted Kingfishers carrying on. For the same reasons you mention, I never even tried to get a good photo! Kudos to you.
Egidio Leitao
Thanks, Lindy. They are hard to spot. Normally, you’ll hear them before you see them.
Anne Sandler
Beautiful capture Egidio!
Egidio Leitao
Thanks for the feedback, Anne.