Hunting the Belted Kingfisher
The goal of this blog is to help me practice my writing skills and share any knowledge that budding photographers or birders might appreciate. However, please keep in mind that I am an amateur. All photos are mine.
The belted kingfisher is likely the most appropriate subject to describe in these adventure stories, as it has been the most difficult to capture. When I first became captivated with bird photography, I quickly discovered the stellar symmetrical common kingfisher photograph by Alan McFayden, as well as Mario Cea’s legendary ghost kingfisher, and later Paul Sawer’s underwater masterpieces. The kingfisher quickly became a priority.
Living in the Pacific Northwest, however, with no common kingfishers around, I was only left with our more modest equivalent: the belted kingfisher.
I began my hunt for these apprehensive avians around June of 2019. As any ambitious birder, I first checked eBird for any recent sightings around Seattle, and then scrolled through various Facebook groups to see if they had spotted any. Although the Facebook tactic is usually ineffective for anything less flashy than your typical hawk or owl, I was thrilled to see that someone had spotted one just that morning at Meadowbrook Pond. So I charged my three batteries, cleaned my SD cards, and set my alarm for an early 5am.
At 5:30am, I threw my flimsy AmazonBasics camera bag into the Prius and made the journey to downtown Seattle. Although this city is known for its cold, grim, rainy days, it warms up in the summer, and I soon found myself sweating through my camo cargo pants as I mounted the 10 kilo camera-telephoto-tripod setup in place. Luckily the pond has a well-built wooden dock with comfortable benches in the shade of large bushes, and I was quickly distracted by all the herons loitering in the reeds. Great blue herons and green herons are common enough throughout the Pacific Northwest, but I made a note that this was the spot to see the most in one place. Despite three hours of patience, however, there was no kingfisher to be found.
Marymoor Park is one of the most biodiverse areas for bird photography in Washington State, rivaled only by Discovery Park and one or two spots on the peninsula. I often come here to find red-tailed hawks or search for short-eared owls. And, of course, it’s packed with great blue herons.
On one such trip in early September, at the corner of my eye about 200 meters away, I saw a figure dart into Sammamish River, then quickly scamper back into the bushes on the opposite side of the bank. I scrambled to get a closer look, and although it was far on the wrong side of the river, it was the first kingfisher I had ever seen.
I hastily prodded my tripod into the muddy gravel and consulted the viewfinder in the hopes of spotting a tiny blue-gray silhouette. I was in the off-leash area with dogs chaotically running and barking around me, splashing into the water and drenching my pants, but at that moment only one thing mattered. Finally, I spotted the bird, and to my surprise it was in the middle of enjoying a meal.
Of course, I was quickly dissatisfied with these first photographs. With the powerful 600mm zoom of my lens, I could get close enough for decent detail, but this photo could not be enlarged without noise and loss of detail in the bird’s feathers. The background was too close to the bird and therefore distracts from the image. And none of the colors are very appealing; they’re mostly dull and dark.
I came back to Marymoor several times early-morning in the hopes of it being on my side of the river, but repeating the same process only led to the same results.
Finally, in early September, my friend and I went to Phantom Lake where I had seen a barred owl just a few days before. I knew that there had been a few kingfisher sightings at the lake as well, so I was hoping to shoot two birds with one outing. Although the barred owl didn’t come out, we heard an aggressive rattling call and spotted its source. Again, the bird was at a distance, but after coming back to the lake a few more times, I finally obtained a bucket shot.
Self critique:
Eye located in the top-right cross-section of the photo, following the rule of thirds. Decently exposed and blurred background well-exposed subject, although unfortunately facing away slightly. A few attractive tail patterns are shown. Over-exposure at the belly, although not too distracting. Bland perch. The subject does not display an exceptional pose or hold prey.
Overall solid photo but not of professional quality.
For nerds:
– Gear: Canon 77D + Sigma 150–600mm f/5.6-f/6.3.
– 1/500s, ISO 400, f/6.3.
Questions, comments, and photo/writing critiques are encouraged! Thank you for reading.
