My Wildlife Photography: White-Breasted kingfisher

A White-Breasted kingfisher's brilliantly colourful plumage makes it one of the most beautiful birds around. As a child, I used to stare in complete awe at its extremely fast and accurate dive into water for small fishes. Almost certainly it comes back to its perch with a fish in its beak. The fish is then killed by repeated thrashing against the perch before swallowing head first. A fascinating bird which feeds and nests like no other birds in my village. When I had my small open aquarium in my backyard I was literally feeding many local Kingfishers unknowingly. However the memories are always not pleasant. I still remember one tragic incidence of my neighbour shooting an enormous Stork billed kingfisher with his rifle. Two days later I found the dead bird on the other side of the stream.

After my schooling I spent my life almost completely in cities, long dry periods. Many years later it was photography that enabled me to reconnect with the nature.

I tried to take my first photo of a kingfisher when I visited one of my friends home near Chennai (Madras). This bird was spotted on the way in a large wetland. After few failed attempts to reach this bird I realised how threatening I have become.

After coming back to my home, I decided to patrol the canal where I used to see these birds. Kingfishers are highly territorial. They actively defend a stretch of water, which often extends a couple of kilometers. They prefer vertical sandy banks of rivers, canals and ponds for safe nesting site. The nest is in the form of a tunnel excavated by both male and female. When I took this bird against a clean concrete embankment I did not immediately realise how such simple canal beautification programs could adversely affect these magnificent birds. But on a closer look this kind of development that lacks imagination and environmental awareness, clears the natural vegetation along the canal banks, create grades and even virtually seals it with concrete walls. It is easy to see an impenetrable canal bank makes it impossible for these birds to build a nest and a cleared site does not give any protection from predation.

*One of the solutions is here. This nest box simulates the natural tunnel nest of a Kingfisher and could be easily integrated during the construction of the embankment.

I still had to wait really long to get a decent picture of a White-Breasted kingfisher. Two years later while going to Ranganathittu bird sanctuary I took this picture through the window of my cab.

100-300mm lens at 300mm
f5.6 for 1/250 sec
ISO 400

Back in home when I was trying hard to locate a resident Jungle owlet, this one came like a flying jewel. Probably in search of lizards, it landed far from the nearest stream but very close to me. Just 3 clicks and I was spotted.

100-300mm lens at 300mm
f5.6 for 1/250 sec
ISO 400

Till now, I took all the Kingfisher pictures by chance. But early in this year I saw a kingfisher flying across my backyard. I decided to have a try. To my delight it landed on our compound wall, very close to a thick bush. I took my camera, covered myself with a handmade poncho and then crawled few meters to reach the bush. Stood up slowly, located the bird through my view finder and clicked one of my all time favorite pictures.