Freeze frame: Kingfisher photo commended in competition

Kingfisher (Alun Lambert)

It’s not surprising that Kingfishers are popular subjects for nature photographers: social media regularly features the blue and orange predator perched on an overhanging branch at The Spinnies, near Bangor, or Big Pool Wood, near Prestatyn. Both sites, managed by North Wales Wildlife Trust, have viewing hides overlooking ideal habitat.

It takes skill and patience to capture a good photograph of a perched Kingfisher, but its even harder to capture the moment that the bird leans forward, a fraction of a second before pushing off, maintaining its eyes squarely on whatever moves below as dinner. This week’s photo was highly commended in the Welsh Ornithological Society’s annual photo competition. It was taken by Alun Lambert, a regular visitor to Big Pool Wood from his home in west Cheshire.

People who have never seen a Kingfisher may not realise that they are only the size of a Robin, just 16cm from bill tip to tail. Alun told me that getting this image relied on setting the camera to a fast shutter speed and he takes as many shots as he can in the time available. He says he deletes thousands of dark or blurry pictures for every handful that are light and sharp. BirdNotes will feature some of the other winning photos from the competition, taken in North Wales, in the coming weeks.

Recent weather hasn’t favoured wildlife photography, with few scarce visitors seen in the run-up to Christmas. A flock of Twite fed on saltmarsh below Flint Castle, and there were Water Pipits there and on Y Foryd. A Bearded Tit is in reeds at Gronant, a Spotted Redshank was at RSPB Conwy and Snow Buntings on the Great Orme late last week. Storms pushed a Little Auk and Little Gull past Cemlyn Bay while unusual visitors to the Menai Strait included Black-necked Grebe off Aber Ogwen, Great Northern Diver in Bangor Harbour and a Black Guillemot at Menai Bridge. An unseasonal Swallow was seen at Penmon last week.