Common Kingfisher/Cruidín (Alcedo atthis)

Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide 2nd Edition with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com

The Common Kingfisher, Alcedo atthis, also known as Eurasian Kingfisher or River Kingfisher, is a small kingfisher with seven subspecies recognized within its wide distribution across Eurasia and North Africa. It is resident in much of its range, but migrates from areas where rivers freeze in winter. This sparrow-sized bird has the typical short-tailed, large-headed kingfisher profile; it has blue upperparts, orange underparts and a long bill. It feeds mainly on fish, caught by diving, and has special visual adaptions to enable it to see prey under water. There are seven subspecies differing in the hue of the upperparts and the intensity of the rufous colour of the underparts; size varies across the subspecies by up to 10%.

Only a quarter of the young survive to breed the following year, but this is enough to maintain the population. Likewise, only a quarter of adult birds survive from one breeding season to the next. Very few birds live longer than one breeding season. This is in part due to cold winters, predators such as rats and mink, and fledged young drowning during their first forays as the king of fishers. (wikipedia)

A stunning bird which I always enjoy seeing. This male (lower mandible is black, while it is orange on female) was fishing along a small stretch of the River Tolka near Dublin city, deep in the riverside bushes. One in a while, the bird would fly out of the trees, hover, and dive for fish. I have yet to see it do this when there is light to be had! Try again. Fail again. Fail better.

Taken in: Ireland / Leinster / Drumcondra (show map)

Taken on: November 28, 2024

Tags:

Bird

Passerines

Kingfisher

Alcedo atthis

Cruidín

Mark

books

Birds of Ireland

Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide

Freshwater Birds of Ireland

Shorebirds of Ireland

Camera

Sony

200-600 G OSS FE 5.6-6.3

ILCE-9M2

A9II

SEL200600G

200-600mm

Mark Carmody

Carmo

Carmody

CarmoPolice

CarmoPolis

markcarmodyphotography

markcarmodyphotography.com

Topic

Birds

Irish Birds

Common

Landscape

River System

River

Europe

Ireland

Dublin

Drumcondra

Tolka River

Griffith Park

Glasnevin

A9_02455 « less

Sets appears in: • Birds of Ireland

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Camera: Sony ILCE-9M2, f/9.0, 1/500 sec, 840mm, ISO 8000 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Sony ILCE-9M2
Lens:	Sony FE 200–600 mm F5.6–6.3 G OSS (SEL200600G) + 1.4X Teleconverter (SEL14TC)
Aperture:	f/9.0
Exposure Time:	0.002 sec (1/500)
Focal Length:	840mm
ISO:	8000
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Manual
Exposure Mode:	Manual
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Saturation:	Low
Sharpness:	Hard
Color Space:	Uncalibrated
Software:	Capture One 23 Macintosh
Show full info

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