bird of desire
I'm chasing this kingfisher for some time. It has its territory at the mouth of a river, unfortunately there is no cover along the watercourse in the vicin...
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I'm chasing this kingfisher for some time. It has its territory at the mouth of a river, unfortunately there is no cover along the watercourse in the vicinity of the residences. The bird is quite bitchy, it is very sensitive to a camouflage tent. The only thing left was to laboriously test his escape distance and then just stay outside this distance. Interestingly, he then reacts quite relaxed, even if you sit on the bank without cover...
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Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Aperture f/6.3 ISO 400 Shutter 1/50 Focal Length 600/1 
Gohren, Baden-Wurttemberg, DE
May, 2020Views
391
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People's Choice in Common Kingfisher Photo Challenge
Peer Award
Top Choice
Absolute Masterpiece
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Magnificent Capture
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
The picture was taken at the mouth of the Argen River in Lake ConstanceTime
Kingfishers can, in principle, be observed all day. But I prefer the early morning, because then there are not so many people around that the bird can feel disturbedLighting
When it comes to wildlife photography, I usually prefer cloudy skies, as the sun often creates quite harsh contrasts if it doesn't come directly from behind. So also with this pictureEquipment
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, Tamron SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 - that's it. I usually don't use a tripod in wildlife photography because it is too inflexible and animals should be photographed with exposure times so short that a tripod is not necessary anywayInspiration
Kingfishers are a very popular subject among photographers because of their colors. They are also very fast and very shy, which is why they are not that easy to photograph. I've been trying to get one on camera for a long timeEditing
I cropped the picture because there was too much empty space around the bird on the original. I also enlarged it a bit, as is almost always the case with my wildlife photos. Then a slight adjustment of the contrast, which is actually always necessary when photographing in raw formatIn my camera bag
First and foremost, I photograph landscapes. I have two lenses in my backpack for this genre: the Canon EF 16-35mm f / 4L IS USM and the Canon EF 24-105mm f / 4L IS USM. Various ND and GND filters as well as a tripod are of course always included. If the way to the photo spot is not too long or too difficult, I also like to take the Tamron 70-300mm 1: 4-5.6 SP Di VC USM with me for detailed shots. Occasionally I do astrophotography with the Tamron SP 15-30mm f / 2.8 Di VC USD, but this thing is so heavy that it is only taken for that special occasion. My second big passion is wildlife photography. Here I have the Tamron SP 150-600mm F / 5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 (also very heavy and therefore not always in the rucksack) for the larger and more abrasive specimens and the Tamron SP 90mm 1: 2.8 Di Macro 1:1 VC USD for the tiny ones I use all those lenses with my Canon EOS 5D Mark IV My newest toy is a drone: the dji Mavic 2 pro for unusual perspectives, abstractions and a view over the fogFeedback
It takes a lot of patience to photograph a kingfisher in the wild. First of all, you need a clear, not too fast-flowing body of water with small fish, because the kingfisher must be able to recognize its prey from its hide. Then there must be trees or branches in the water that the kingfisher can use as a hide. Trees on the bank with branches hanging over the water are also possible. The hide should be about one to two meters above the water. Now you have to observe first: are there kingfishers in the chosen area? They often fly through their territory in fast flight just above the water surface, accompanied by loud shouts. When you see a kingfisher in flight, you have to keep looking and observing: where is it based? where does he hunt from? Kingfishers usually use the same hide again and again. Once you have discovered a hide, it is important to find a good hiding place within an acceptable photo distance, because kingfishers are very shy and can easily be driven from their hide (or even from the breeding cave!) by disturbance
