kingfisher
This is the second time in my life that I met a kingfisher. The first was about 10 years ago while walking along the Heinbach. Suddenly there was a tiny blue shimmering spot on a brach over the water. Turned out to be one of them and it was gone so quickly that I hardly trusted my vision. Was it really a kingfisher? Whenever I come back to the Heinbach I hope to meet one again and having my camera with me. Truth is, that I almost spent half of the first covid lockdown – almost half a year – there nearly every day and never saw one again.
Today I went for a walk from Bad Nauheim to Friedberg, along the river Usa. After a few meters on track it occurred to me that I probably won’t make any good pictures here. Lots of people passing by and hardly any birds to be seen. When I finally took out the cam to observe a tiny bird on the other shore, an older man stepped up to me, asking “Are you taking pictures of the little holes in the grass?” I told him what I was aiming at. He smiled and replied “There is a kingfisher down the river”. I was not sure, if I understood him correctly and I thought, how could he know? Those birds are shy and tiny. You have to look very close to find them. Turns out, he was right. A few hundred meters down the Usa gets split up and one arm ends, right before a bridge in some kind of natural shallow pool. The topology and vegetation is perfect for kingfishers: partly flowing river, with basins of still water and branches and bushes reaching over. And really… from a far I could make out this tiny saphire blue shining glow through the bushes. I got closer, but as soon as I raised the lens, it flew off, leaving me with a no-photo, as messed up shots are called by some photographers. Anyway. As this is my blog and documents my progress, I will post it here – stick it to my wall, reminding me that I have to learn a lot more about sneaking uo to an animal and will do my best to improve. This bird is just one of the most beautiful out there and with this entry it is save that this is my new mission, to find and take a good foto of a kingfisher.
Ohhh yes.. there is a good foto of a kingfisher on this site, but that was shot in India and this species is not shining like a blue diamond. > kingfisher
Funny addition: While I was crouching through the bushes, trying to get a climpse around the next curve, suddenly something made a splash in the water. Turned out it was this fish that just had caught an insect. I came closer and eyed me from below. Always like it, when animals are as curious as I am.
