Have you ever seen a kingfisher dive into the water and catch a fish? It is one of the most spectacular sights in nature. These small birds are great fish catchers and use their long beaks to grab fish from the water. It is not easy to see how they catch the fish when they are in action. They are that fast. Does that mean no one can ever see the kingfisher's great fish-catching skills?
No, there’s a way.
Talented photographers use their skills and time to get the perfect shots of kingfishers in action. Alan McFadyen is one of those brilliant photographers. But his journey of perfect photography is a challenging one.
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The dedicated photographer
Alan McFadyen is a wildlife photographer. It is his side hustle. He is special from other photographers due to a special reason. He spent six years trying to capture the best-timed shot of a kingfisher diving into the water. He took over 720,000 photos over 4,200 hours before finally getting the one he wanted. See the photo below.
Look at the stunning image of a kingfisher plunging into the water with barely a splash. It creates a perfect mirror image of itself.
McFadyen aimed to capture the perfect shot of a kingfisher diving flawlessly into the water without splashing. Sometimes he would take 600 photos in one session, and none of them would be good. But looking back at all his work, it was worth it to get that one perfect shot.
The skillful predator
There are 87 different types of kingfishers in the world, but only one lives in Europe. It is called the common kingfisher. People call it river kingfisher because it likes to hang out near slow-moving water where there are many fish and places to perch. The common kingfisher’s feather color is kind of weird for a bird that lives in a colder place. They are bright blue and orange feathers.
McFadyen’s great photo took the entire world’s attention.
McFadyen's Kingfisher photo was a huge hit on social media. People were really impressed by how beautiful and precise it was. His grandpa inspired him to love nature and wildlife. He remembers his grandpa taking him to see a kingfisher nest and being amazed by how awesome the birds were. So, when he started taking photos, he returned to that spot to take pictures of the kingfishers. If you want to see more McFadyen's photos, follow him on Twitter.
