Kingfisher!

The Hoquiam River seen from just off the Hoquiam River Loop. The loop is a combination of walking path and city sidewalk running around the river between our two bridges; it's 5-6 blocks long on each side of the river.









The fallen tree where the kingfisher landed for its photo. In the background, Simpson Avenue Bridge.

The last week of July found me on the river in Hoquiam, Wash., on a quest to photograph a kingfisher.

I had been seeing the kingfisher almost every day when I walked down to the river for my morning or afternoon breaks. I had every confidence that I would see it, but as quick as they are, I wasn't certain of getting a photo.

And, it took me two days to get a single photo worth sharing!

I visited the same spot along the Hoquiam River Loop on back-to-back, sunny days. While I waited on the kingfisher, I photographed some killdeer feasting on the mudflats.

On the first day, I did see two kingfishers squabbling along the river right in front of me, but had my 18-55mm zoom on the camera, and they were just beyond its optimal range. And they passed by quicker than I could even think about changing lenses.

The second day the kingfisher settled briefly in the branches of the fallen tree you see in the final photo of this series, and I had my 75-300mm already mounted in preparation.