Kingfisher and the pelet


Posted by Danny Young on Mon Mar 27, 2023 3:57 pm

All times are UTC-05:00

Reply to topic  
 First unread post  | 9 posts | 
Image
Sony NEX-7, Canon FD 500 F/4.5L, 1/3200, F/4.5, ISO 400.

A bit of a story and yes a lot of birds do this for sure. I've got shots of other birds doing the same thing and you've probably seen it as well. 

So these are seashore Kingfisher and go after small crabs at low tide. After watching these for years, what they do is to bring up the pelet they can't digest with crab shells, sand, etc. They do this at after around 7-9 small crabs. Tell tale sign is when they stay on a perch for a long time without going out on the hunt, then the head and neck starts to move and the beak opens, so it does become predictable and plenty of shots of this action. 

So what goes up, must come down, but sometimes, just sometimes, what goes down must come up ;)

So a bit boring, but there ya go. Have a good one out there.

Danny.
 

User avatar
Posted by:
Danny Young
Forum Contributor
Location: New Zealand
Member #:021857
Posts: 434
Joined: 22 Mar 2023

   

by Axel Hildebrandt on Mon Mar 27, 2023 4:18 pm
User avatar
Axel Hildebrandt
Moderator
Posts: 21943
Joined: 28 Nov 2005
Location: Coopersburg, PA
Member #:00941
Great moment captured, Danny. Considering the size of the Kingfisher, this is quite a pellet, no wonder the nictitating membrane is covering the eye.
Axel Hildebrandt
 

by Karl Egressy on Mon Mar 27, 2023 6:43 pm
User avatar
Karl Egressy
Forum Contributor
Posts: 39506
Joined: 11 Dec 2004
Location: Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Member #:00988
Great action shot.
 

by paul fletcher on Mon Mar 27, 2023 7:58 pm
paul fletcher
Forum Contributor
Posts: 3011
Joined: 26 Feb 2018
Member #:02174
Great image, plus an informative text as well, Danny.
 

by SantaFeJoe on Mon Mar 27, 2023 9:59 pm
User avatar
SantaFeJoe
Forum Contributor
Posts: 8622
Joined: 28 Jan 2012
Location: Somewhere Out In The Wilds
Great moment captured. It's amazing how you can learn things about birds no matter how long you shoot. I only knew about owl pellets. It's true that you can predict action after observing birds for a long time, like the wing flap of ducks after grooming or the take-off of Sandhill Cranes in the morning. Thanks for the lesson.

Joe
Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.  -Pablo Picasso
 

by david fletcher on Tue Mar 28, 2023 2:41 am
User avatar
david fletcher
Moderator
Posts: 34206
Joined: 24 Sep 2004
Location: UK
Member #:00525
Lovely entertaining info Danny. Super shot btw.
Make your life spectacular!

NSN00525
 

by gregc on Tue Mar 28, 2023 6:27 am
gregc
Forum Contributor
Posts: 1224
Joined: 20 Feb 2021
Location: Far North Queensland
Member #:22123
Good behavioural image. Lots of buff on the belly, more than I see on my locals, male, I assume?
 

by Carol Clarke on Tue Mar 28, 2023 10:28 am
User avatar
Carol Clarke
Chief Forum Administrator
Posts: 73064
Joined: 22 Aug 2003
Location: Lincolnshire, UK. In tune with Nature.
Member #:00067
Perfect shot to follow the crab toss Danny. I used to be fascinated by owl pellets when I was a child, taking them apart to find the tiny shrew and mouse jaw bones and teeth but this is the first view of a kingfisher regurgitating, and its a superb shot!

Carol.
Carol Clarke
Chief Forum Administrator.


"When the power of love is greater than the love of power,
the world will know peace"....Jimi Hendrix.

NSN0067
 

by Cynthia Crawford on Tue Mar 28, 2023 2:17 pm
User avatar
Cynthia Crawford
Moderator
Posts: 20371
Joined: 10 Jun 2006
Location: Vermont
Member #:00733
Wow- thanks for the information-I had no idea. Great shot too, to illustrate this behavior!
Cynthia (Cindy) Crawford-Moderator, Photo & Digital Art
web site: http://www.creaturekinships.net
"If I Keep a Green Bough in My Heart, the Singing Bird Will Come"  Chinese Proverb
 

Display posts from previous:  Sort by:  
9 posts | 

Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group