Gone fishing - Photographer Jon's incredible catch

Photographer, Jon Morris, or MoPhoto, from Cockshutt near Ellesmere, captured this incredible image of the bird with a fish in its mouth on the River Tern, just outside Market Drayton.

He had teamed up with Mike Dunlevy from Shropshire Photography Hides to spend some time on the Tern at the weekend.

"It was snowing heavily so I wasn't hopeful for a decent shot and was absolutely thrilled to get this one," he said.

"I’ve been photographing wildlife for years but the Kingfisher is such an amazingly beautiful bird that it’s hard not to be mesmerised by them when you see them with your own eyes. Sometimes I forget the camera when I do see them because they are so lovely to just watch.

"Over the years I’ve had a few opportunities to photograph them, mainly up in Scotland and that’s when I really fell in love with them; so to have the chance to photograph some in Shropshire is such a blessing and a whole lot easier without the travelling.

"It wouldn’t be possible to take these kinds of shots without the hard work and amazing care for wildlife that Mike Dunlevy does.

"The kingfisher is an amazing hunter, and the speed at which they move is phenomenal, blink and you will miss them. Normally you will simply see a blue flash of colour if you are walking along a river in the UK. It’s speed at fishing is the thrill for photographers, a real buzz when you pull off a decent shot.

The kingfisher is said to have been the first bird to fly from Noah’s ark and received its orange from the setting sun and its bright blue from the blue sky on its back. Whatever the reason there’s no denying their vivid colours definitely make it one of the UK’s most striking birds."

Mr Morris runs Photosoup, a group to encourage and support photographers of all levels. During lockdown he has been running the Photosoup 52 week challenge on his social media.