Kingfisher = Stress Buster

I'm not entirely sure why I was feeling so stressed this morning. I've got an interview this afternoon, but frankly I'm not entirely sure I want this particular job, and the rest of the day (as it's not till late afternoon) can be spent trawling jobs online, and continuing a clean up of the computer that I started last night while watching the Superbowl (maybe the < 4 hours sleep contributed to me feeling 'edgy' during the morning).

Anyway, I decided to head out for a walk round the park in an attempt to de-stress, and it did the job. I'd been happy with a flock of Redwings, and some comical Starlings bathing in the shallow water, but further down the park and my true quarry didn't disappoint. The Kingfisher seems to have taken a shine to one particular stretch of water, and I spotted him from the front (his orange belnding in beautifully with the bank), just in time to see him fly off.

But I've learned patience. I didn't get too close to the perch he'd flown to, and just enjoyed being able to see him at a distance he was comfortable with, but which still afforded me the opportunity for some shots. He buzzed between 3 or 4 different perches, the last (the one pictured) had me crouched behind a bin. Three members of a birdwatching club had seen him as well, and crept up behind me to watch through binoculars, and he hung about for a good 5 minutes. It was a first Kingfisher for one of them, and I remember that feeling well.