Colorful Irritated Kingfisher (カワセミ) at Kin Dam

The Base of Kin Dam

There wasn't much activity in the sky today but, I took a long camera walk, anyway.

Kawasemi (カワセミ) would be, what a Kingfisher is called, locally.

When, I saw it land, I was hoping, it might dive into the water below and, grab some fish.

Probably, a hundred images, of the bird, were taken, before it flew away.

The little character, seemed upset about something and kept, flapping its wings.

Maybe, there's a nest and mama bird, behind that netting and, he was warning them.

"Don't come out and, give away our position.  Wait until, I say it's all clear.

There's some idiot with a camera, on the bridge and, he keeps shooting, everytime, I move."

Eurasian Kingfisher -- Called Kawasemi (カワセミ) in Japan

Another name for this bird is River Kingfisher.

Scientists call it an Alcedo atthis.

The birds shown here, were photographed in the Namisato district of Kin Town.

Links for those interested in learning more about these colorful birds:

Animal Corner

ARKive

Wildlife Okinawa

5 Animated Photos of Kingfishers Perched in Trees

Learning how to add Geotags to photos is what started all this.

There are programs that can put latitude and longitude into an image's EXIF data file.

Smart phones do this for your photos automatically, from what I gather.

But for my DSLR, I had to figure out another method to geotag images before uploading.

Walking around with a Garmin GPS and camera is the method, I prefer.

Points marked along the route are recorded on the GPS.

As long as they are marked, close to the same time photos are taken, all goes well.

Even with the Garmin tied around my neck, I forget to use it sometimes.

Marking the location five minutes later than the photo was taken is a big No No.

If it doesn't match the time recorded on the photo, it won't get a geotag.

There is another method of manually adding the tags but, that's too much work for me.

 The programs, I'm using do a fantastic job of geotagging.

Somehow, the images are even showing up on Google Earth for anyone to see.

That way, I don't have to bother telling folks where to find these birds.

If you don't mind a little jungle, you can find these birds and take photos, too.

Make sure you bring a sharp knife.  You'll need one.

Mine got busted today so, tomorrow I have to go shopping.

Checkout this Iridescent Bird: Common Kingfisher Striking Poses

They Brighten Up a Dreary Day

 

 

 

The bird was drying feathers, preening and, watching the stream below. 

It had made a few dives but, came back without any fish after each attempt.

Perched on a dead tree that had fallen over the waterway, it didn't notice me, sneaking closer.

The camera was equipped with the Sigma 50-500mm but, I wanted some close up images.

A Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) isn't much larger than a sparrow.

They are probably the most colorful bird on this island.

Whenever the opportunity comes along, it's a good idea to shoot some gigabytes of them.

A series of 8 photos were used in compiling this animated GIF.

Now, it's time for me to go celebrate with a cold beer.

Learn more about the Kingfisher at ARKive

Related Post:  Territorial Bird -- Common Kingfisher

This Little Bird Whacks a Fish to Death

The Kingfisher Takes Its Prey Back to a Perch

 

 

Here's one smacking a little fish on a rock to kill it before gulping it down.

If the fish were alive, it might spread its fins to keep from being swallowed.

The bird doesn't want to choke on a live fish, refusing to be eaten.

Once the fish stops fighting and is sort of pulverized, down the hatch it goes.

 This is the Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis).

It is also known as a River Kingfisher or, Eurasian Kingfisher.

In Japanese, it is called a Kawasemi (カワセミ).

Learn more about this bird at the following sites:

ARKive

BIRDGUIDES

A wetland wildlife site in Singapore gave me this information, deserving of a quote:

"Before eating a fish, the bird will hold it by its tail and whack it to death against the perch,

 particularly fishes with poky fins.

Otherwise, the live fish may extend its fins in the bird's throat, choking it, sometimes to death."

Japanese readers may wish to visit Okinawa-kaeru 

Wildlife Photo: European Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) Okinawa

The European, or Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) is also a resident of Okinawa, Japan.

This photo taken Jun 6, 2012 at 3:16PM

Location: Nagahama Dam in Yomitan

Equipment: Pentax K5, Sigma 50-500 at 500mm, Tripod and shutter release cable.

Manual focus, f/11  1/100   ISO 100

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