The female Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) that I spotted last Friday at Huntley Meadows Park was too quick and too far away for me to photograph in flight when she took off several times to try to catch a fish. I did manage, though, to capture a short sequence of shots when she was returning to her perch after an unsuccessful attempt. Unlike many birds that would have approached the perch horizontally, the kingfisher came up out of the water vertically, appearing almost to levitate as she rose to her perch.
Normally I lead a blog post with my favorite or my best image, but this time I decided to leave the shots in the correct time sequence. The middle image in which the kingfisher was fully spread her wings is my clear favorite of the three, though I like the way that each shot shows the different body and wing positions as she stuck her landing–I would give her a perfect score of 10.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Nice shot Mike. I am surprised their scientific name does not have bashful in it. They go up and down the river quite quickly here. And jump off any perch when the camera comes up. I don’t think I have ever come close to getting a picture of one. Thanks
I usually can hear a kingfisher well before I see it. Usually the view that I get is of it flying away–they tend to be really skittish. I was pretty lucky in this case that the kingfisher did not spot me as I skulked about in the underbrush.
That’s a great sequence.
This was a fantastic series, Mike, and I’m glad you left it in the order that you experienced it. I felt like I was beside the water’s edge witnessing it with you. The autumnal background colors and the clarity of the kingfisher in each photo are a joy. I too like the middle photo the most. Enjoyed your description too, espec. “…the kingfisher came up out of the water vertically, appearing almost to levitate as she rose to her perch.”
Thanks, Jet. I was pleasantly surprised that the three images, which I took in a short burst, actually came out it focus. My camera is a bit old and is not as quick to focus as some newer models, but it tracked pretty well and I think it helped that I was using a monopod for stability. Thanks too for commenting on my prose, Jet. I mostly write in a stream-of-consciousness mode, but do give a lot of thoughts to the words and verbal imagery that I use.
A fascinating series, Mike. Each position offers a different perspective of this beautiful bird. That middle shot is a ’10’ for sure!
Thanks, Eliza.
A Kingfisher is one of the great wildlife photographer challenges. You’re on a roll ! Great captures. You seem to have her routine down which is half the game with them. 👍
Well, Ted. At least I had it down for a few magical moments. As all of the commercials say, “past performance is no guarantee of future results.” 🙂
Absolutely incredible shots!
Thanks so much. I was happy to be at that spot at the right moment and was able to anticipate the moments of action.
Wonderful sequence, Mike. 10 for sure!
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Thanks, Mitzy.
Very nice series Mike!
Thanks, Reed.
We have a pair of kingfishers that return to our lakeshore a the cabin reliably each year, and their chittering call is an integral part of (normally) annual summer experience there. And, yes, they are extremely shy and hard to capture with a camera. I’ve tried the shoreline sneak and the watery one with wading, kayak, and canoe, but they have always managed to elude me. Maybe next year (if there is a next year there). Sigh.
Here is hoping, Gary, that some kind of “normalcy” will have returned by next summer. I figure that we will be under pretty severe restrictions for at least the next six months or so.
This is an amazing sequence. You were right to leave it in chronological order. Who would have thought?
How neat. I give her a 10, too.
🙂
I just love these shots! I rarely get to see the pretty kingfisher! So nice of you to send her to me 🙂