WILCOCK

What can one say about Kingfishers other than that they are one of the most beautiful birds we have in the UK. Sometimes all you see is a flash of azure as they dash down a stream or across a lake. Often however one can observe them perched either at rest or waiting for an unsuspecting fish to swim by! I have spent many hours photographing them and never tire of trying to add to my Kingfisher portfolio. Sometimes, however, I may sit in a hide all day without one materialising. When they do show up they often move so quickly it is difficult to catch them in the camera. Nevertheless patience eventually pays off and they can present spectacular photographic opportunities even if one needs a high powered lens to cope with their small size and the distance between them and myself.

This collection shows photographs taken at many different sites, and the range from perched birds, often with the fish they have caught, to birds fishing – both diving in and emerging with their catch. There are also a few pictures of Kingfishers in flight, a couple just outside their nest hole. Some of the flight shots are not as sharply in focus as I would have liked but it has proved difficult to use a fast enough speed in what has usually been poor lighting.