A malachite kingfisher perches on a thorned acacia branch in Amboseli National Park, Kenya, his barred blue crest and orange cheek bright against a soft green background. We were parked near the swampy edge of the park, just past a culvert, watching a stork, when he landed on the acacia beside our vehicle. He had come to fish the creek that ran under the road. I moved the camera into position slowly, and he stayed, looking down at the water. At roughly five inches long he is easy to miss, and this frame is close enough to show the barring on his crest. Malachite kingfishers are not threatened, but they depend on clean, steady water, which is why a swamp like this matters.
