Common Kingfisher

Without a doubt, the Kingfisher must rank very high on any bird photographers desirable birds to photograph. I for one several years ago thought the chance of coming close to a Common Kingfisher let alone photographing one was very low. I would look in wonder at some of the images in picture libraries and websites and feel totally frustrated at my lack of images, none actually! That’s when the penny dropped that I needed to get off my backside and actually start to really have a look for them. Where to start? my local River Trent seemed to be a good place to look, although I started to spot a few birds, the riverside habitat was just either not accessible or too close to humans with dogs, bikes etc. The issue is you need a hide to conceal yourself and that would just attract way too much interest. Stalking Kingfishers along a riverbank quickly turned into a waste of time, the moment you step forward they are gone and disappear into the distance. That big pink face sure seems to scare them!!! There are exceptions and some individual birds can allow an approach to be photographed. These areas are normally where there is heavy human traffic which has led to a small amount of habituation. I prefer to keep out of fixed hides on nature reserves as they are generally poorly placed for the light, backgrounds and too high. 

Fieldwork is a big investment in time and energy but the rewards are so much better so using google maps I began my search by walking miles of footpaths along rivers and streams with areas where I could set a small hide up or sit beneath a bag hide. Finally, the fieldwork yielded some Kingfishers and a promising small river which wasn’t too deep and although there was a footpath it didn’t have too many people walking along, which would mean less disturbance and I could hide without attracting too much attention. Please note the photography was conducted after the breeding season and not near any nest site. Respect nature at all times.

I’ve finally managed to find a site and the next issue was finding a decent perch to place on a riverbank and see if the birds would decide to land. Looking back I would have found a much better perch but you use what you can locally. No, I wasn’t going to stick a post in the river with a ‘No Fishing” sign on it!.

After placing a small snag I left the site for a week to hopefully let the resident Kingfisher give the new perch a seal of approval. I needn’t have worried as I returned a week later in the pre-dawn light to spot a bird sat right on top of the perch, success! The bird cleared off when it spotted my face. I was confident the bird would return. I quickly covered myself under a bag blind and sitting on a small stool in the shallow river with the 500mm fixed on a tripod. Now I can tell you it was uncomfortable and cramps soon set in but I stuck it out. My first kingfisher and excited by the success of the perch and the promise of some images to follow, if the bird cooperates? Patience and staying focused on the perch in front of the lens, this is not the time to be checking your phone. I only had a small scrim covered window to look out of and it made me nervous that the Kingfisher might just be sitting on another perch just a few metres away and I wouldn’t even know. Occasionally I would hear a scream and see a flash of neon blue streak past. All these sights and sounds just adding to the tension building, but by just relaxing and letting the moment come to you is a quality I’ve learned to develop over time and no matter what the subject you’re attempting to photograph. 

Finally, I hear a splash and I knew instantly the Kingfisher had arrived and I had not even seen or heard it land on the perch, continually fishing and catching minnows and not caring about my presence. Perfect.

I gently squeezed off some frames from the noisy Nikon camera and the bird was unphased by the obnoxious sounds of the drive. Now of course what would happen next seems hard to believe but when the bird started to use the lens hood for a perch. That just takes the p*&s, followed by landing on my head and then my shoulder. I could feel its tiny feet and I just wanted to laugh, my mates aren’t going to believe this in a million years. I sure wish I had set up some GoPro to film the moment. You’re just going to have to believe me and laugh with me. I managed some nice images but nothing amazing however the experience was just fantastic and I learned a lot about fieldwork and myself as a photographer. Of course, you now book a hide and pay for images but really is that whats it’s all about repeating what the last photographer has taken. Paying for your portfolio instead of putting in the effort to experience nature for yourself where possible is so much more rewarding and seeing the reaction on your family and friends faces when you tell them you’ve just had a Kingfisher land on your head……priceless.

Common Kingfisher