I quite like the way that that trips off the tongue...how long ago was it when I studied iambic pentameter? Who can remember "Two households, both alike in dignity"? Anywayyyyyy, where were we? ah, yes, back to our subject, the hunter and the hunted...and Paul is our guest poster today....if you like these images, feel free to follow him , ‘dickpa’ on Instagram.
I enjoy exploring different habitats and photographing wildlife, and Hong Kong’s diverse species of Kingfishers top my bucket list. One of my favourite’s is the White-throated Kingfisher, as you can see here in this portrait shot. The electric blue feathers and large red-orange beak, together with the pure white throat and chest feathers makes it easy to identify.
But trying to catch this super fast bird in flight is a real challenge. In order to do that you have to predict where it will fly to and then adjust your camera settings to be able to ‘get the shot’ as it zips past. So, after 4-5 visits to the TKO harbour, spending 5-6 hours each visit I built up a pretty good understanding of what to expect and where to look. TKO harbour at low tide offers the birds a buffet of small crabs and small fish species, both of which are favoured by the Kingfisher. And here’s the result of that research, in this image it’s perched on a clam encrusted drainage tunnel wall and fishing for the small fry.
check back tomorrow for more of Paul's excellent story and photos.
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