Winning photo National Geographic Photo Contest !!!
The ponds and ditches were frozen for a short time, and since kingfishers need to keep eating continuously, this kingfisher had found another patch of unfrozen water to fish. This adult female kingfisher, recognizable by her orange lower bill, was waiting for her chance on a nice branch just above the open water, and suddenly dove underwater looking for something to eat. Underwater she grabbed this little fish between her straight dagger-like beak. The whole action lasted less than one second but shows how a kingfisher dives into the water and still manages to get its prey underwater.
It is easy to see that during the dive the eye is protected by a transparent milky film. This hazy membrane, also called the winking membrane, slides underwater in front of the eye and protects the eye of the kingfisher from prey fish and aquatic plants. The air bubbles that escape from the kingfisher's water-repellent plumage give a special effect to this photograph.
Passionate nature and wildlife photographer traveling to all corners of the world. Dirk-Jan's photography is mainly focused on depicting the beautiful and fragile nature on earth, but he also likes to depict landscapes on his travels and in The Netherlands.
Wild animals ranging from colourful birds and mountain gorillas to..
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