A Subtle Change of Dazzling Colour

After the devastating floods of Boxing Day 2015 the river banks also took a battering and were reshaped with trees and undergrowth uprooted and washed away. One tree near where I watch the kingfishers was knocked down but has survived lying on the riverbank and its turning into a perfect natural hide. I can get inside the branches with my portable chair and the new spring growth is beginning to throw up a nice leafy cover.

I'd just settled in when the first kingfisher shot past up stream and its mate surprised me by landing ten feet away in a tree above my head. I had not time to amend any settings on my camera before it flew into the next tree and then away after the female.

They entertained me most of the morning at some distance, mating, diving for fish and generally enjoying the beautiful day until scared off by some dog walkers.

I wasn't expecting much when I looked at my photo's later but what leaps out is the difference in colour a small distance makes. The first is when the male was closest, the second a shorter distance further from me and that extra distance and difference in light makes an amazing difference to the colours of the bird.

Guess where I'll be spending a lot of my time?