A flicker of electric blue...

I was off on my walk - a regular exercise walk that takes me past the old mill and down to the nature reserve, where I later carried out the weekly butterfly survey for UKBMS - when I saw a flicker of electric blue race across the millpond and into the vegetation.

He thought I couldn't see him, and I was hidden behind some bushes on the edge of the millpond. For about ten minutes we each stayed relatively motionless, the kingfisher going through a cleaning and preening and me taking regular shots, albeit with a shorter lens than I will have next time.

The light was atrocious or fantastic, depending on whether you want the whole bird or the hint of one. I would have preferred that his beak was not lost in the shadows, but the highlights are colourful. He's normally  seen - or so the anglers say - zooming up and down the Little Avon River.

But now I know where you hang out... ;-)