TomKal foto

Kingfisher is one of the Polish birds, which could be classified by its coloration to the birds of paradise. It is really beautiful. But its real charm can be only appreciated by taking photos in disguise. It rarely accepts human presence. Kingfishers are frequently seen by fishermen. It reminds me of two stories I have heard from the fishermen who saw a kingfisher. The first one is that a kingfisher was diving on and off into the water. The second is that a kingfisher sat on the fishing rod while it was looking for prey. It flies along the rivers and streams where it preys on small fish. It often dives into the water which has to be clear and transparent. Its flights are fast and agile, and the only thing we can see is its blue-orange glow. Kingfishers are rare and difficult to see nowadays. Its weight doesn’t exceed 60 grams with a wingspan of 30 centimeters. It is easier to observe and photograph kingfishers if we know exactly where they exist. It is also possible to spot them sitting on the branches above the mirror of the rivers. Taking a photo of a kingfisher diving into the water or flying in the sky is as difficult as taking the photo of a mosquito.
Last minute news 09/2016
After another attempt to photograph a rut, which was a failure, I managed to take a few interesting photos of a kingfisher, perhaps as a little consolation. And again, all this thanks to the kindness of other people (Mr. Tadeusz, thank you). On a private pond, where perfect living conditions were created for kingfishers (silence, peace, fish, high and steep banks here and there), taking photos of these birds was not a problem. I was watching a colorful arrow speeding over the water surface and after a while I could select the favorite kingfisher’s observation points from where it watched the area and the water surface when hunting. Several images enriched my gallery. Yet I do not have a kingfisher when diving for prey in the water then pops up, and then takes flight.
Last minute news -12/2018 Sri Lanka
Last minute news- 09/2019
Well, the kingfisher, despite the fact that in Poland it is quite common, a beautiful bird, for 6 years had no new photos on my website apart from accidental photos in Sri Lanka. This time an opportunity arose when I was photographing a gray heron. Unfortunately, 300mm lens appropriate for taking pictures of herons was not good for photographing a tiny kingfisher. There is no point in thinking about changing the lens when the birds are in front of the camera, because it would mean the photo session was over. Like with the gray heron, I decided to record a short movie with the kingfisher in the lead role. The video is posted on YouTube, and the address is also a link to the film https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwAwVuaAwUE&t=13s. As always, it takes time, a lot of time to take interesting photos or movies. One must to record many hours and sequences to select the few minutes for the movie. This was the case with the gray heron, whose film was made after four photographic attempts. I will have to organize more than one session for the kingfisher to make an interesting film...
Last minute news-10/2020
While I was waiting for the great bittern, from time to time appeared a kingfisher on the left side of the shelter. The bird was so close that were taken some interesting photos and the gallery was rebuilt.