We saw this kingfisher by the side of the Union Canal in Edinburgh today. Uncharacteristically it was posing nicely in a tree and then in this bit of undergrowth. Crafty Green Boyfriend doesn't have a zoom lens for his camera at the moment, but if you click on the photo you will get a larger view. The kingfisher is such a beautiful bird, wonderful colours. There had been worries that kingfishers in the UK might have really suffered over the cold winter, and although there have been fewer sightings than normal along the Water of Leith this year, it seems that overall in the UK, they've not done too badly this year. You can read more about the kingfisher's resurgence here.
I seen one today too! On the Water of Leith at Belford Road. My very first sighting and it was just of this vibrant blue bullet shooting past me. lol. I stood around for ages in the general area that it looked like it had landed and a couple even came up to me later and told me there had been one on a branch earlier. Could not find it again, much to my disappointment. So great you got a photo!
ReplyDeleteWhat a special little bird!!
ReplyDeleteCrafty Green Boyfriend's Christmas prezzie may well be a zoom lens, then?
ReplyDeleteIsn't the kingfisher just beauty with wings?
shh peter, Crafty Green Boyfriend isn't to know that...
ReplyDeleteD.moll - isn't it just!
dfg - glad you saw one too! Shame you couldn't get a photo!
Impressive! And the little blighter stayed in one place long enough to be photographed, too.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, for any serious bird/wildlife photography, you need at least a 400 mm lens, which not only costs a fortune and weighs a ton, but also involves wandering along the canal towpath looking like a paparazzo …
How lucky you are to have seen him. Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteLovely bird - our Aussie Kookaburra is a type of Kingfisher!
ReplyDeleteWow can't believe you managed to get this shot! Go you (or CGB!)
ReplyDeleteI see a kingfisher very rarely on the banks of the river running through our village but i'm never fast enough or steady enough to get the shot!
I think it is a very good shot, and it just a natural setting for it. So far, I haven't been able to capture one in a photo.
ReplyDeleteAh, so beautiful!
ReplyDeleteIt's a lovely bird. One of my favourite birds here in Canada is the belted kingfisher. I wonder if they are related. :)
ReplyDeleteEGWow - your belted kingfisher, Gabrielle's kookaburra and our kingfisher here are all related...
ReplyDeleteI love this shot of the kingfisher. What a treat to have it posing for you.
ReplyDeleteDelightful. I sometimes spot kingfishers near the river bank at Ditto Landing. At the farm in Tennessee, there are several at the creek. I love watching them.
ReplyDeleteI arrived back in Galloway after a couple of computer free days and this one nearly escaped me. But it's funny for only yesterday a friend sent me a letter (in the time honoured way with a postage stamp) in which she tells me she's seen two kingfishers lately on the Water of Leith. I've only seen them down this way from time to time and always on the opposite bank and when you turn around you can only see where they've been - all you're left with is the remains of a blue flash. Well done for getting one to sit still long enough to photograph.
ReplyDeletekingfishers are beautiful. we have two nesting here just near our house this spring. they make such a distinctive brrrrrrrrring sound in the mornings and evenings when they are out feeding.
ReplyDeletethanks for loving my spear grass picture.
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