This morning I told two other people who love Rock Creek Park that the belted kingfisher is my nemesis. If I came closer than 200 yards away, it flew in the other direction. This afternoon one posed for me. Psychologists call the phenomenon partial reinforcement. A high degree of uncertainty coupled with unpredictable rewards makes an activity hard to resist. Welcome to photographing birds! Rock Creek Park, Washington, DC, December 15, 2020.