The king of fishers, here he is.

It is called a Pied Kingfisher (Ceryle rudis), and it's preparing to dive.

I shared my surprise at seeing Moorhens catching fish a while ago, and this time I will share the Kingfisher and some Gulls also catching fish.

First up is the Pied Kingfisher (5 shots), and then the Gulls (5 shots). We have 10 species of Kingfishers here and the biggest one is called the Giant Kingfisher, which I have posted a long time ago. The smallest one is called the Striped Kingfisher, and I do not have him on camera yet. They are masters when it comes to catching fish, and there is lots of finesse in their actions.
Let us see what Wikipedia has to say about the Pied Kingfisher.

The pied kingfisher is the only member of the genus Ceryle. Molecular analysis shows it is an early offshoot of the lineage that gave rise to American kingfishers of the genus Chloroceryle. The pied kingfisher was initially believed to be descended from an ancestral American green kingfisher which crossed the Atlantic Ocean about one million years ago. A more recent suggestion is that the pied kingfisher and the American green kingfishers are derived from an Old World species, with the pied kingfisher or its ancestor losing the metallic colouration afterwards.

Source

Although I had the camera setting correct this time, I almost missed his speedy dive into the water.

Bang! He got his fish and then he disappeared.

After his meal, he came in to sit on this pike next to the dam.

And then he started to preen in order to clean his feathers.

And now let me show you how the Hartlaub's Gulls (Chroicocephalus hartlaubii) catch fish.

The gull is a non-migratory breeding resident endemic to the Atlantic Ocean coastline of South Africa and Namibia. Although it is predominantly coastal or estuarine, it is not a pelagic species, and is rarely seen at sea far from land. About one half of the total population, currently estimated at 30,000 birds, lives within the Greater Cape Town area. It has accommodated well to humans, and can become very tame around habitations. Although it is a relatively rare species, about the tenth rarest of the world's 50 or so gull species, it is common in its range and is widely regarded in Cape Town as a nuisance, fouling buildings and bathing in urban ponds. It has, at times, been a hazard to aircraft near airports.

Source

They don't dive into the water, as they search the surface for fish close to a leaf on the water. And then they land on the leaf in a split second.

Bang! Look what he has in his beak! He landed on that leaf and instantly grabbed the fish nearby.

And then he took off at speed in case the other gulls wanted to rob him of his prey.

Some other gulls also appeared.

And finally, here below, you will see the kingfisher at the right top of the picture with two gulls at the left of the picture.

The dam is filled with plenty of juvenile fish and interestingly we discovered something else. When the fish hatch, they are called "fry" and then when they have fins and scales, and can eat by themselves, they are called "fingerlings". The interesting part here is that "small fry" is an English term for something insignificant. So, they must have latched on to the small fish expression of fry to develop the saying.

Thankfully the golfers have become used to me with my camera, and some of them even ask to see some of my photos. The golf course is kept in an immaculate state, and the highlight is that one can see the entire mountain range on view. I have taken many landscapes here to share on my blog. But not only landscapes, as also the wildlife and one can learn a lot in nature about bird life. It is always a pleasure to come here.
Such is life.

I hope you enjoyed the pictures and the story.

Photos by Zac Smith. All-Rights-Reserved.

Camera: Canon PowershotSX70HS Bridge Camera.

Until next time, cheers!