Smithsonian magazine's 22nd Annual Photo Contest | Made possible through the support of MPB.com

21st Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
Morning Belted Kingfisher

I was driving along at a good clip to reach the beach before sunrise when…STOP, there’s a Belted Kingfisher in a perfectly mysterious pose thinking about the morning meal. So I quietly got out of my car, crept up on the road parallel to the shore, and quickly got this shot through the trees. Then I waited a few moment for the light to change, the sun to warm up the water in a glassy glow, with the bird in slight silhouette. I’ve found Kingfishers to be notoriously finicky when I pull to a camera….was so grateful to get this.

Photo Detail
Date Uploaded: 11.2023
Photo Location: Shelter Island, New York, United States of America
Camera: ILCE-1
Copyright: © K C Bailey