Belted Kingfisher

[Jim Crosswell]

This was taken from my dock Monday morning. I put a piece of wood on a fence post in July but had no luck until now. I waited five hours for the KF to land and was about to pack it in then the KF showed up and I was rewarded for my patience. The KF gave me many images and there will be more to follow. Some will find the perch too thick but I think it is representative off what they use. The BG is the lake on an overcast day. All C&Cs are welcome and appreciated.

Canon 1D MK IV
500L f4
1.4 Extender
ISO 800
1/1000s
f7.1
Tripod
Manual Mode

[Karl Egressy]

Nice pose with excellent head turn and the crest up. I like everything about it, Jim. My only question is if there was any reason not to use an extender or you were close enough?

[Jim Crosswell]

Nice pose with excellent head turn and the crest up. I like everything about it, Jim. My only question is if there was any reason not to use an extender or you were close enough?

Thanks Karl. I forgot to enter the extender info but added it in now. I don't think I could get that close.

[Cheryl Arena Molennor]

Your patience paid off Jim. What a great shot. Sweet look back and great detail. I never knew these girls had dots all over them.

[Martin Dunn]

Patience does pay off.
A neat photo of a lovely bird. The raised crest is a bonus.
Composition is a bit ordinary and, personally, I find the background too bright.
Having said that the kingfisher now knows about your perch and will almost certainly return so I hope this is the first of many photographs we'll see of him(?)

[Nick Palmieri]

Very nice job on the bird. I agree the BG is a little bright but that was where he was at the time, certainly would not have passed this up. You managed to expose a dark bird very well in spite of the bright sky. Nice job.

[Grace Scalzo]

Nice work, Jim. Such a tough species and you even got the female. The look back pose is perfect. I think I see a magenta cast....but don't rely on me for that, hopefully others will weigh in.

[Shawn Zierman]

Jim I think your perch looks very kingfisher worthy. In a beaver pond area I used to frequent, where a number of ash trees had been drowned and long since died and had the bark come off, the kingfishers would perch on stuff just like this. Overall, I enjoy the image, the great head angle and eye contact, erect crest...Regarding light quality, I wonder what snap you could have introduced into this image using a better beamer/fill flash?

[gail bisson]

Hi Jim,
A big congrats on getting this easy to spook, smart bird.
You get bonus points for your patience and perseverance!
I like the pose and IQ. I do see a purple/magenta cast in the feathers which is easily fixed.
In a perfect world you would have a more interesting BG but, hey, I am getting picky here. I hope she comes back in better light for you but still would be thrilled with this,
Gail

[Markus Jais]

This is great. I like everything here. The perch, the bird, the light and colors, the background and the head turn.

Markus

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Jim, great HA with an alert pose. Love the slightly open beak too. I feel your comp works well, and overall, well exposed on the darker plumage. I too hope she returns in better light for even better shots.

[Jim Crosswell]

Thanks everyone for the comments and suggestions. Here is a repost with some adjustments.

[Petros Petrou]

This is a very nice image Jim. Isn't it a great feeling when you get a nice image after some hours wait? The look back pose is nice and the perch is fine. I think that you have gone too far with the color correction but I am not sure since I am not familiar with this bird species.

[Jim Crosswell]

This is a very nice image Jim. Isn't it a great feeling when you get a nice image after some hours wait? The look back pose is nice and the perch is fine. I think that you have gone too far with the color correction but I am not sure since I am not familiar with this bird species.

Thanks Petros. I was quite happy when the KF finally landed. In the repost version I made the wings too blue.

[Satish Ranadive]

Superb image. Beautiful colors, nice pose,perch,BG and composition.
Love the crest and white beauty spot on face.

Regards,
Satish.

[Sandy Witvoet]

A perch certainly worthy of a Kingfisher! (sure wouldn't see her sitting on a skinny little twig!). Pose is most excellent...love over-the-shoulder. Like the BG better on the repost... but "pinkish" cast on the back of the bird looks a bit odd. Great capture of a REALLY skittish bird!

[Jim Crosswell]

Last attempt to rid the image of the colour cast. Thanks everyone for the comments and suggestions.