Table of Contents

1. August – The Best Month for Kingfisher Photography
2. Key Facts About the Kingfisher
3. Kingfisher Adventure with a Photography Friend
4. My Gear Setup for Kingfisher Photography
5. The Hunt for the First Kingfisher
6. Challenges of Kingfisher Photography
7. My Goal: Capturing a Stacked Image of the Kingfisher’s Dive
8. Conclusion: Patience and Passion Lead to Success

August – The Best Month for Kingfisher Photography

August is the perfect time for kingfisher photography in Germany because it’s when the birds are most active. The young kingfishers from different nests are still around their parents’ territory. This gives photographers a great chance to capture them, as young birds are less shy – perfect for photographing these bright blue birds.

The key to good kingfisher photos is patience and finding the right spot. Once you’ve found the ideal location, watching the kingfishers becomes an exciting experience. The birds fly fast, like rockets, just above the water, from one perch to another. Early in the morning, when the light is soft, is the best time for stunning photos.

Key Facts About the Kingfisher

• Distribution: Europe, Asia, North Africa
  The Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) is found across large parts of Europe, Asia, and North Africa.

• Habitat: Clear, fish-rich waters
  It prefers clear rivers, lakes, and ponds with plenty of fish. You can also find it in coastal areas or artificial waters like canals if there is enough food and places to nest.

• Appearance: Shiny blue and orange, about 16 cm (6.3 inches) long
  The kingfisher is known for its bright blue back and orange underside.

• Flight and Hunting Techniques:
  The kingfisher is a master of diving. It catches its prey, mostly small fish, by quickly plunging into the water.

• Diet: Small fish, insects, and tadpoles
  Its main food is small fish, which it catches in the water. It also eats insects and tadpoles.

Kingfisher Adventure with a Photography Friend

Sharing great experiences with friends makes them even better – and this is true for nature photography too. I’ve had many wildlife photography adventures with my longtime friend Richard (Instagram: @bergsteiger_1911). This time, we set our sights on the kingfisher.

We started our adventure early in the morning, before sunrise. Our goal was to use the soft morning light to create special photos. Kingfishers are also very active during this time. It’s important to arrive early to set up your position, camouflage, and equipment. Setting up can make noise, even if you try to be quiet. So, it’s best to be ready before the animals wake up to avoid disturbing them.

Our spot was a small wooden pier over a pond, hidden with camouflage nets and muted clothing. From experience, we knew that the better our camouflage, the more likely the kingfishers would come closer. To reduce our presence even more, we lay down on the ground to make ourselves as small as possible and blend into the environment.

My Gear Setup for Kingfisher Photography

For this adventure, I used a versatile set of equipment to capture the Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) in all its movements – from sitting still to diving fast. Every piece of gear had a specific purpose:

• Camouflage Nets: These helped hide any reflections from my clothes, gear, or skin, allowing me to stay unnoticed by the birds.
• Clamps: I used small clamps (like clothespins) to quickly and easily secure the nets in place.
• Ground Tripod: The ground tripod was essential to avoid shaking the camera. When sitting and waiting for hours, the tripod held the heavy camera steady, allowing me to react calmly and precisely when the kingfisher made a move. The camera and telephoto lens are heavy and hard to handle, so without the tripod, every movement would be clumsy.
• Knee Pads: On the hard wooden pier, padded knee pads (like the ones tilers use) made it much more comfortable. They allowed me to focus on taking photos without getting distracted by the pain from kneeling and moving on the hard surface.
• Army ISO Mat: This mat protected me from the damp ground and added a bit of comfort while lying on the pier over the pond. It’s compact and great for these kinds of projects.
• Sony A1 and Sony a6700: The Sony A1 was my main camera for photography, while I used the Sony a6700 mainly for video. I also wanted to see how it performed for this kind of photography.
• Sony 400 mm f/2.8 GM, Sony 200–600 mm G, and Sony 100–400 mm GM: The Sony 400 mm f/2.8 GM was my go-to lens for capturing fast movements and in low light. I used the Sony 200–600 mm G and Sony 100–400 mm GM for videos and for testing shots with the a6700.
• Sony Teleconverters 1.4x & 2x: I used these teleconverters with the 400 mm f/2.8 lens to extend the focal length when needed, giving me extra flexibility with composition.

This setup allowed me to respond flexibly to different situations without making sudden movements that might scare the kingfishers. The ground tripod was especially valuable, keeping the camera steady while I waited for the perfect moment and helping me capture sharp images, even though fast shutter speeds don’t always need stabilization.

The Hunt for the First Kingfisher

The blue hour was ending when we first heard the kingfisher – even before we saw it. With a loud, unmistakable call, it announced its presence. Soon after, we spotted it sitting on a dead tree at the edge of the pond, waiting for its first catch of the day. These moments are always fascinating: the bird sits calmly, scanning the water, and then – bam! – it dives into the water at lightning speed. Just a split second later, it flies back up, but on this morning, the first hunting attempt was not successful.

It was a young kingfisher, and we could tell because young birds have darker feet, which turn bright orange when they become adults. The tip of the beak is also pale or whitish in young birds.

This young kingfisher gave us many opportunities to photograph it from different angles – a perfect subject for a series of shots.

It was amazing how quickly everything happened. You had to stay fully focused and try to keep an eye on the birds as they moved over the pond. Sometimes, two young kingfishers would chase each other in fast, playful flights across the water, weaving between the dead branches sticking out of the pond. Then, suddenly – whoosh – they would fly right under us, directly in front of our lenses.

Challenges of Kingfisher Photography

Nature doesn’t follow our plans, and as nature photographers, we often have to deal with unpredictable conditions. Sometimes the lighting is bad, the background is too close to the subject, the bird doesn’t land where we want it to, or it doesn’t show up at all.

At our pond spot, we faced these typical challenges. The position on the pier was good, and we had the sun behind us. But the light didn’t hit the area where we aimed our cameras until later in the morning. When the light did finally reach that spot, there was only a short window of soft light. At that moment, the kingfisher needed to be in the right place, too.

But these challenges are what make nature photography so exciting. Being patient enough to wait for hours for the perfect moment is the key to success.

My Goal: Capturing a Stacked Image of the Kingfisher’s Dive

My goal for this photo session was to capture the kingfisher’s dive into the water and then combine the shots into a single image (stacking). The moment when the bird dives like a blue rocket is very hard to photograph because it happens in a split second. The timing has to be perfect, the camera settings need to be spot-on, and the lighting needs to be just right to get fast shutter speeds with a low ISO.

During this session, I managed to capture a few shots of the dive – even a series that I could later combine into one image. In that sense, it was a success. Unfortunately, the light was too harsh, and the background was too close to the bird, which made the photo look too busy, and the kingfisher wasn’t as isolated as I had hoped.

Conclusion: Patience and Passion Lead to Success

Kingfisher photography requires a lot of patience and endurance to get that “one shot” you’ve imagined. But when it works, the feeling is incredible. Not every attempt will be successful, but that shouldn’t discourage you. Every moment spent observing wildlife in its natural habitat is a reward. Over time, you improve your photography skills and your understanding of nature and its creatures.

FAQ

1. When is the best time to photograph kingfishers in Germany?
The best months are July to September, especially in August when the young birds are active and still near the adults.

2. What equipment do I need for kingfisher photography?
You’ll need a camera with a telephoto lens, at least 400 mm. Camouflage nets (depending on the location and how shy the birds are), tripods, and patience are key.

3. Where can I find kingfishers?
You can usually find them near bodies of water, mainly rivers and lakes with shallow edges or slow-moving sections.

4. How long do I have to wait for good shots?
Patience is important – it can happen quickly or take hours of waiting.

5. What are the biggest challenges in kingfisher photography?
The main challenges are the lighting conditions and how fast the bird moves.