Giant Kingfisher

Gallery: AvianPosted November 24, 2013208 views16 comments

This posed nicely for us in a dead tree on Lake Kariba, taken from a drifting boat.
Matusadona National Park, Zimbabwe
EOS 1DX
500mm F4 MkII
F6.3
ISO 800
1/3200
EV +0.33

Comments

16 comments

Comment posted by Howard Cheek on November 24, 2013 at 7:12 AM

Nice head turn, love this POV of the parted beak with its tongue-a-wagging

Great work Ken

Registered on July 24, 2008, 1201 Posts, 10758 Comments

Comment posted by John Tobias on November 24, 2013 at 8:19 AM

First time I have seen photo of one of these! Great detail, good pose and BG. Thanks for sharing.

Registered on September 12, 2009, 2120 Posts, 6455 Comments

Comment posted by Keith Bauer on November 24, 2013 at 9:24 AM

Wow. What a cool bird. I've never seen one. Excellent image. I particularly like the way the background interacts with the subject. Nice capture.

Registered on November 20, 2003, 458 Posts, 4836 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on November 24, 2013 at 9:59 AM

Excellent detail and pose, Ken.

Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments

Comment posted by Robert Strickland on November 24, 2013 at 12:24 PM

To me this is a perfect photo, shows some action with mouth open, exposure right , background very nice, Excellent work on this photo

Registered on January 16, 2005, 96 Posts, 72 Comments

Comment posted by Hans Overduin on November 24, 2013 at 2:35 PM

Wow.. Excellent shot of this species-I'd-like-to-see-one-day

. The tongue is a bonus. Cheers, Hans

Registered on August 31, 2011, 491 Posts, 3807 Comments

Comment posted by Jim DeWitt on November 24, 2013 at 10:15 PM

Excellent, Ken. Not just the lovely shot of the bird, but the angle of the branch against the angle of the background, and the way the bird's open bill mirrors those angles. Ties together nicely.

Registered on August 28, 2006, 1240 Posts, 8506 Comments

Comment posted by Jefferson Silva on November 25, 2013 at 6:06 AM

Perfect, Ken.

Registered on December 18, 2012, 162 Posts, 975 Comments

Comment posted by Randy Runtsch on November 25, 2013 at 6:55 AM

Hi Ken,

This is a nice photo of an interesting-looking bird. The backgrounds is nicely blurred.

The only minor change that I can think of would have been to capture the image with a smaller aperture that would bring the bird's tail into focus.

Nicely done.

Registered on October 30, 2013, 50 Posts, 445 Comments

Comment posted by Robert Bunch on November 25, 2013 at 1:10 PM

Great shot. Cool looking bird. Perch, pose, BG, light etc. all working well here. Good job.

Registered on May 18, 2004, 124 Posts, 2503 Comments

Comment posted by Nate Chappell on November 25, 2013 at 6:17 PM

Love the open beak pose here Ken, beautiful lighting too

Registered on February 1, 2006, 1158 Posts, 19528 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Archer on November 26, 2013 at 9:17 PM

Sweet photo of this beauty Ken

I really like the open beak and the dual toned background.

Registered on October 28, 2004, 222 Posts, 6683 Comments

Comment posted by Rob Drummond on November 27, 2013 at 3:04 AM

What a great bird Ken - well done

Registered on November 8, 2003, 617 Posts, 8267 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Watkins on November 29, 2013 at 11:35 AM

Thanks everybody for your kind comments, which are much appreciated

Registered on December 15, 2010, 1537 Posts, 4877 Comments

Comment posted by Hans Overduin on December 6, 2013 at 2:40 AM

Congrats on the Weekly Pick !

Registered on August 31, 2011, 491 Posts, 3807 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Watkins on December 6, 2013 at 2:56 AM

I must admit to be totally "blown away" by the selection of this image as a weekly pick.
I am not really a serious bird photographer but like to have a try when the opportunity arises, so this for me is magical.

Thanks everybody

Registered on December 15, 2010, 1537 Posts, 4877 Comments