You Bugger, you!

While I love most opportunities where I’m able to put my camera in my hand and lose myself for awhile, sitting on a quiet lake in my kayak and enjoying the wildlife is at the top of the list.  That is until the wildlife starts teasing!

Meet Mr. Kingfisher.  His job is to do his absolute best to be sure I never obtain a decent photo of him.  And boy-oh-boy is he good at his job!

I’ve been on the lake that he calls home enough times now that I’ve observed and pick up on his flight patterns and behaviors.  He has a triangle-shaped route on a particular bay that I like to sit in because it’s the same area in which the eagle nests.  The above shot is of Mr. Kingfisher on the first point of his triangle just before the sun rose which allowed for a nice silhouette, but too dark for an an detail.

After some adjustments in Lightroom I was able to get some detail back, but I’m still too far away for the 500mm.   Seconds later, he was off to point number 2 of the triangle.

His next perch on the lake is one where I could be right next to him and still not get a decent “wildlife” photo of him.  He likes to sit on the top of a particular dock post to keep an eye on “his bay”.

Here you can at least tell it’s a kingfisher, but not the most pleasing of scenes.  It’s his 3rd point of the triangle that would offer the best natural scene, a tree branch extending out over the lake about a foot off the surface.  So far he continues to evade me despite my best efforts.  It’s become a game between us; me trying to get the photograph and him trying to avoid it.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not frantically chasing him around the lake, but I have sat quietly for HOURS trying to get that one photo.  No joy.

To date, this is my best shot of Mr. Kingfisher as he moved from point 2 to 3 of his triangle.  See the laughter in his eye?  Some day, buddy. Some day.