Borneo: Blue Eared Kingfisher

[Phil Liew]

These Blue Eared Kingfishers were pretty common along the Kinabatangan river. Taken from a boat they allowed us to get relatively close to be able to get full frame shots. These were under canopy in the brush as the birds perched to get the fish. The background is cluttered but it is the habitat and environment in which they thrive.

1D Mk3 + EF800mm 1/125s f/8 ISO800 EV +1/3 No Fill Flash
http://www.pbase.com/image/117392682.jpg

[Harshad Barve]

Majestic bird and high on my wish list
lovely pose , nice details & perch, liked the inclusion of habitat
TFS

[Jackie Schuknecht]

Beautiful colours on the bird, with great sharpness and details. Wasn't sure about the branch over the head of the bird, but after reading your explanation, I would leave it in.

[Ramon M. Casares]

Not crazy about the twigs in the BG, but overall I like it, lovely pose, light, colors, detail and comp.
Congratulations!

[Simon Bennett]

Goregeous bird and image, very sharp and I like the pose.

[Chris van Rooyen]

Reminds me a lot of our malachite kingfisher:-). Sharpness and colours outstanding as always, I would consider removing the OOF branch above the head.

[Tony Whitehead]

Lovely HA and pose to illustrate the colours. Looks like the Australian Azure Kingfisher. Do you know the scientific name?

[Judy Lynn Malloch]

Such a beautiful little bird. I agree about the twigs but I would be thrilled to have this image in my files. Congratulations .

[Arthur Morris]

hardcolor or beauty of the bird. In other words, I love it.

Please tell me that you were on a tripod.

[Ilija Dukovski]

Some bird this is. I'd clone the ULC branch, other than that is really good.

[Stu Bowie]

Striking colours, and you were fortunate to get pretty close.

[Phil Liew]

Thank you all for your comments.

Tony - The scientific name is "alcedo meninting"
Artie - Taken off a boat with the lens resting on my wife Kian's shoulder! LOL! seriously the whole rig was mounted on a Gitzo 1325 and Wimberley II spread out on the boat.
Stuart - yes fortunate to get close enough to be an almost full frame shot.

[Kaustubh Deshpande]

love the bird and the composition. Cleaner BG wud have taken this to a next level...but I know how hard it is in the rainforest. Interesting that these are common there...In India I believe they are quite rare. Borneo is a special place...wud love to go their one day. I have been to rainforests on mainland malaysia but never to Borneo.

Thx for sharing.

KD

[Arthur Morris]

Thank you all for your comments. Artie - Taken off a boat with the lens resting on my wife Kian's shoulder! LOL! seriously the whole rig was mounted on a Gitzo 1325 and Wimberley II spread out on the boat.

AW. I am confused a bit; was the lens on the tripod and then resting on your wife's shoulder? The reason that I ask is that there is a meadowlark image in ABP that was created with the old MF 800mm lens resting on the window frame while my right elbow was supported by my late wife Elaine's stomach as she had her seat-back reclined as I photographed out of her side window, the passenger side. I was using a very slow shutter speed and thus instructed her not to breath. She didn't!

[Tony Whitehead]

Tony - The scientific name is "alcedo meninting"


Thanks, Phil. The Azure is Alcedo azurea. Obviously very closely related as their appearance is almost identical - azure is blue on the cheek.