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10 Seconds to Fledging - Belted Kingfisher.
Some weeks ago I posted an adult flying out of the burrow. Knowing these guys' nests are sensitive to disruptions my friend and I gave it lots of time before heading back for photography. We did leave the camouflaged covering we used propped up at the spot to get them used to it, which they did (we did scout the place on many occasions to monitor progress). On one evening I saw there was an adult peeking out without flying out, which was odd. After a few minutes I realized it was actually one the young ones peeking out into the outside world. Not to miss my chance I made it a point to go there the next morning. I hid under the camo tarp, which was further concealed in some tall grasses, and waited...and after a short while here it came, just poking its head out!
The adults were on a dead tree behind me, causing a commotion...and coming near the burrow with fish but not landing to feed the young one. I thought it was my presence bothering them and I started contemplating leaving them alone, until I saw this little one edging closer and closer up to where its feet were clinging to the edge as we see here. It was bobbing its head too and moving its wings. I realized that the adults were actually not worried about me but rather trying to coax it out of the burrow, which it did literally less than 10 seconds after this image was taken!! I had just told myself to get rid of the TC and modify the settings for more SS in anticipation of that. oh well. It flew to the tree the adults were in behind me, about a hundred yard first flight. Unbelievably all I did was watch as it leapt out...I totally froze on the moment. Talk about a rookie mistake in missing the pivotal moment!! I still got back home with a sense of satisfaction though...and feeling lucky to have witnessed such a beautiful moment in the kingfishers' lives.
Canon 7D + 500mm f/4 II + 1.4TC, manual exposure, evaluative metering, 1/1000s., f/8, ISO 800, natural light, handheld (on my belly, elbows braced to the ground), small crop for comp, lightened the belly, removed a few distractions on the dirt mound, coaxed out some details on the white neck ring.
