The Kingfisher

The first time I've ever seen a Kingfisher was literally last week in Salisbury. I got so excited when I saw that little blue bird flying in front of me, I didn't even have time to get my camera and photograph it. But I was so happy I had finally seen one, I didn't really mind not registering it.

This morning, however, it was a different story. I woke up with the sun and made my way to the Stour Valley Nature Reserve despite the miserable weather, with one set resolve. I was going to photograph a Kingfisher.

The light and weather conditions were definitely against me, but I knew luck was on my side as, upon arrival, I saw one flying by straight away. I was literally just arriving, so no equipment was at hand and flying went my first chance of reaching my goal.

Still, I persevered and ventured through the extremely muddy tracks by the riverbank, spotting a number of birds such as the heron, robin, woodpecker and many more, but no sign of my little blue target.

After spending a few minutes at a particular location with no sightings, I decided to make my way to the other side of the river walk. As I started walking, my path was finally crossed by a fast and small dash of blue. I could hardly contain my excitement when I saw it landing on a tree branch and, with my camera in hand, I saw my quest find its end.

It's most definitely not the greatest Kingfisher image ever made, it's actually quite far from it. But it's mine and I can't say how happy I am with it. One more box ticked. Onto the next one.