Home»All Albums & Groups»Shaanxi, Hanzhong»Alcedo atthis on Campus

~ When returning from the downtown supermarket on a grey Saturday morning, I reentered the university from the East Gate. Walking past the Administration Building, I glanced to my left at the fountain area. A single Alcedo atthis, Common Kingfisher, was perched on a fountain rod. I rushed home, set down the groceries, fitted a 400mm super-telephoto lens on a camera, and returned. These images were made during less than one minute, before the kingfisher flew off, having seen the long lens. Nature's quiet Christmas gift.