I wonder if these are stunt-fish and a stunt bird.

When your life is on the line, you're willing to go to the limits.

We're in a golden age for nature and action photography right now. Digital cameras now routinely do things that film couldn't, or at least couldn't except for rare, happy accidents. Ten years ago, that would have been a 'stop the presses', front cover of National Geograpic photograph. Now, it's a prizewinner, but it's not astonishing.

They're big into ice fishing too.

Unfortunately we are also in the age of Photoshop, which makes it harder to believe what you see.

Umm, that looks like a hummingbird. Are you sure Caroluna didn't help you "find" that photo?

The one you see is the one that didn't get you.

Is your local kingfisher representative the belted Kingfisher? Cuz that's the kind we have in both Ontario and BC.

The European version looks like this. It also appears to be in Texas and Missouri (afaik, briefly).

A belted K. can display some irridescence under perfect conditions, but after seeing pics from the UK, suddenly the Gerard Manley Hopkins poem As Kingfishers Catch Fire comes a little more into focus. I'm a big fan of Hopkins.

Oh! No! She's got me!

No. It's not a hummingbird. That's definitely a European Kingfisher. Beautiful irridescent blue on their backs. They're beautiful to watch as they flash along a river.

Can they all spear three fish at one go, like that?

While kingfishers are quite adept, single fish catches are generally the rule. I suspect the three fish were either photo-shopped in or were dead, nor do I think the hole in ice was actually there. Most Eurasian Kingfishers in northern climes migrate southward during the colder months. They are rather fearless and are more than willing to work for just fish which is how Joe Petersburger obtained his photos. Here's one of many taken by Charlie Hamilton James for National Geographic a few years ago.

My thoughts exactly. That photo is definitely photoshopped.

Here in the UK and most of Europe Kingfishers are resident all year around. In north-eastern Europe and on in to Russia they are migrant.

Well the ice fishing was real. Who knew? http://www.delpho.de/