The bird in the bush ...

It being a non-working day for Cathy, we set off for a walk in the winter sunshine after lunch today.  I took the 70-200mm telephoto zoom, but on a whim put the 2x converter in my pocket just in case. 

It was cold, and the breeze made it feel even colder; where the sun hadn't got to the frost there were still patches of ice on the ground.  We definitely needed to keep the pace up to stay warm.

By a bridge I saw a chap with a long lens busily watching something in the trees beside the river.  Sure enough, there was the kingfisher, so finally I've got close enough to one of them for a half way decent shot.  We watched for a while until a dog walker's dog decided to go into the water, at which point it was game over.  The bird must have eaten earlier, as it showed no signs of wanting to fish.  

On our way back I checked again, just in case it had returned, but by then the light was going, even though it was only just 3pm, so we came on home to the warmth and a nice cup of tea.