After The Dive

   The little female Belted Kingfisher that hangs around between the pier and my brother's pier has become rather accustomed to my presence.  At first, even getting that sought after photograph was difficult.  She darted here and there and was never sitting still enough for the camera to focus on her.  This morning was foggy but my little friend was still busy catching breakfast.  She was sitting on a rope strung between two posts on my brother's pier.  She would wait for an unsuspecting fish to swim close to the water's surface then dive down to retrieve it.  She is very adept at catching most any fish she deems to be a meal. 

  While I watched, she caught several before settling in to "clean up the mess".  Her feathers were soaked between the dive and the heavy fog...time for a bath! Using her long beak, the little bird thoroughly went through every feather...from head to toe!  Several times she fluffed the feathers out which made her look twice her actual size!

  Once she cleared the feathers of most of the water, she began preening.  Preening is a method of "oiling" the feathers to keep them somewhat waterproof but also in good condition.  Birds use oil from a uropygial gland that is near the base of their tails.  They use their beaks to smooth the oil on each feather then on their legs and feet.  It seems that birds have quite the "beauty" routine but this is merely a method of protecting their feathers and leg/feet scales.  

  After my bird friend finished, she flew off to another perch high in a pine tree near the marsh.  For me, I already had dozens of photographs and a light coating of fog settling on my clothing.  It was time for me to head back to the Little Bayou House and clean up myself!

Rattling Call, Incredible Speed...The Belted Kingfisher!

   Belted Kingfishers are rather skittish birds.  They are shy and tend to stay away from people if at all possible.  Add their incredible speed and you can easily see why the birds are notoriously difficult to photograph.  This makes the "hunt" interesting.  Sometimes the only indication that a kingfisher is in the area is its call.  The bird is usually solitary and only meets up with another during breeding season.  

  One thing that is a bit unusual about the Belted Kingfishers is that the female is more brightly colored than the male.  If you see one with an extra "belt" of rust color across its chest, that is the female.  Males lack this and are only blue and white.  There is some question as to why the female is more colorful since this is not the norm.  Usually, male birds are brightly colored to attract females and the females are muted as to stay hidden while on the nest.  What gives with the kingfishers?  

  One explanation that seems most logical is, that since kingfishers are highly territorial, the rust-colored band gives a resident male a clue that he need not defend his territory but should welcome the visitor.  When in the midst of many battles with other (intruder) males, that bit of color is sort of like a flag.  The male can easily distinguish the female as a possible mate instead of an interloper.

  This morning, I heard the rattling call of a kingfisher near the pier.  Determined to get my photograph, I plunked myself down and waited.  I was rewarded when a female bird landed on a tall pole on my brother's pier.  Ahh!  I had to be quick!  I snapped exactly one picture before the bird dove into the water, snatched a fish and flew to a nearby pine tree.  She was gone...but I had my picture!

Difficult Task!

   The Belted Kingfisher birds are notoriously hard to photograph simply because they are so busy.  The birds can dive with lightning speed and literally dive right out of a photograph!  This makes for a delightful sense of accomplishment if even one picture turns out well.  Since the birds hang around the pier posts as they dive for small fish near the marsh, it has become a personal challenge to get that elusive inflight photograph.  I have not.  Yet.  I will keep trying.  

  The little female kingfisher did come to visit this morning and granted me several pictures as she patiently sat atop one of the tallest posts.  She obviously had her belly full as she did nothing more than watch me with my camera.  I took advantage of her patience and snapped a few photos from a good distance before trying to "worm" my way closer.  She was having no part of that!  After moving just a few feet nearer the post, she took flight to my brother's pier.  Once there, she began diving again but with the old camera not liking the humidity, nary a picture of her dives was achieved.  I had to be satisfied with the ones on the post.  Belted Kingfishers can dive at 25mph which fully explains the difficulty.  

Feeling Lucky!

   Sometimes you just get lucky.  In wildlife photography, it is all about being in the right spot at the right time with right lighting.  There are a lot of "ifs" and a lot of missed shots but occasionally, life gives you the perfect instances and the photographs turn out well.  Granted, most professional photographers have far better (meaning more expensive) cameras than I do so their pictures are incredible.  I am not taking away from that at all and do not pretend to be to anyone else's standards.  I just enjoy being in the midst of the critters so photographing them has become quite the hobby.  I do it for me. 

  Kingfishers are notoriously hard to photograph because the critters just cannot sit still for long.  By the time the camera is focused, the bird is long gone and you are left with a picture of a tree limb or pier post.  When I heard the call of a kingfisher, something told me it was going to be "my day" to catch a photo.  While these are long-distance shots, I am still pleased that I managed to get a couple.  This was enough to help me identify that this was indeed a female Belted Kingfisher.  The band or belt across the chest says "Belted Kingfisher" while the second, rusty colored band is the identifying trait of a female.  Good enough for me.

Rattling Around in my Thoughts

  Have you ever wondered what a group of kingfishers is called?  Probably not.  Most likely, I am the only person who ponders these things.  I do, however, which makes for a bit of research necessary and that keeps the brain in good working order...so they say.  On my predawn hike to the pier this morning, my first visitor was a Great Blue Heron.  It sat high up on the pier post and was a bit perturbed that I had disturbed its rest.  After a good bit of squawking at me, it took flight and never returned.  I was saddened at its departure but only until a female kingfisher (maybe the queenfisher??) flew in to pay me a visit.  She stayed for just a moment and then flew to my brother's pier.  Kingfishers are not known to be overly sociable like some of the other birds around the Bayou.  She did, however, then pause long enough for me to get several photographs.  

  The Belted Kingfisher was in a hunting mood.  She did several dives that served her breakfast.  Just as a note, it is easy to tell the difference between male and female Belted Kingfishers by their "belts".  The male of the species has one broad blue belt while the female has an extra belt of rust color.  This is one of the few birds where the female is more ornate or brightly colored than the male.  While they are brightly colored birds, it is easier to spot the birds by listening for their calls.  When in flight, the kingfishers give a rattling call that can alert you to their presence.  It is this call that also gives them their "group" name.  A large group of kingfishers is called a "rattle".  So now you know what I ponder at 6am while sitting in thick fog!  So goes life on the Bayou.