Watercolor sketches Kingfisher

Painted four new watercolours of Eurasian kingfisher bird

Bird watercolors

Text and drawing by Frits Ahlefeldt

First it was just a glimpse of blue between the trees… I walked out on the small bridge, along where the stream slowed. Tired after a long day I put my backpack down and stretched my legs so they almost touched the water.

I was alone there, and not allowed to pinch my tent… so I was waiting for it to get dark

A minute later the bird was back. A tiny bright, beautiful, blue dart, fast flying between the trees.

So seldom I see it, the Kingfisher bird, I leaned back and watched it, waiting for dark would pass fast.

Eurasian Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis – Isfugl – Eisvogel )
The Eurasian or Common Kingfisher is a small, fast bird living mainly, stealth diving to catch fish, in clean streams and rivers in Eurasia and North Africa.

This tiny (34-46g. – 16 cm. / 6 1/2 in) blue and orange bird with the giant beak, can’t sing, but it can catch fish with brilliant diving accuracy, even changing the shape of it’s eyes as it hits the surface of the water, to change its monocular vision – to a more accurate binocular vision.

My watercolor sketches, to get to know the Common Kingfisher better…