When I was walking camera-less by the creek, I checked on the Sacred Kingfisher and it was on one of the low branches.

Damn. Murphy's Law-no camera and the closest the bird has been to me!

I did go back the next day and fortunately he was perched quite low, constantly calling with some beautiful sparkling bokeh behind.

Tags:   Craigieburn Kingfisher Malcolm Creek Sacred Kingfisher Todiramphus sanctus bird Nikon Nikon D500 Nikon 200-500 blue feathers

© All Rights Reserved

I have been lucky with Sacred Kingfishers this year as this is the third place I have encountered them. They are not uncommon but perhaps not seen as often as birdo's would like. Their feathers are a striking blue, contrasting with the buff colours and that long beak give them character such that they tend make your heart beat that bit faster upon encountering them.

I found a pair at the Yea Wetlands on the weekend. There was a nest near by and this one kept flying to the nest and then back onto this little branch for a few seconds. It was later in the day and the light was fading but I manged a few images that were workable.

Tags:   Sacred Kingfisher Yea wetlands birds Todiramphus sanctus Kingfisher Nikon D500 Nikon 200-500 Victoria Australian Bird

© All Rights Reserved

Sacred Kingfisher spotted at my local creek (see previous post).
Contrary to their name, they don't usually eat fish. Instead, they usually hunt terrestrial prey, mostly taking insects, but they will also eat a wide variety of other small animals, both vertebrate and invertebrate

One of my favourite birds so very exciting to find one so close to home

Tags:   Craigieburn Kingfisher birds Sacred Kingfisher Todiramphus sanctus Australian bird Nikon D500 Tamron 150-600

© All Rights Reserved

I think with my last upload of a Sacred Kingfisher I mentioned how I had seen the most I have ever seen this last season. Here is another to add to the sightings.

We have finally been able to start Obedience classes with the ever excitable Harpo. The classes are in a semi rural town, not too far from home (20 minutes) but somewhere I had never been before.

As a consequence of this, we decided to go exploring and ended up along the Goulburn River at Seymour where some flashes of metallic blue alerted me to a pair of Kingfishers. I had to do some stalking and for a short period of time, this one perched long enough for me to creep in to a reasonable distance to take this image.

I recently read an enormous thread on a social media site about the legitimacy of calling oneself a "birder" a birdwatcher, a twitcher, a bird photographer etc and how much snobbery around the term there is. I have never thought about it much.

I know I love birds and they bring me great joy that I found rather late in life. I like to watch them, learn about them and photograph them. I like to travel around to see them and find new species.

Maybe I'll just stick with birdie nerd.

Tags:   Kingfisher birds Sacred Kingfisher Todiramphus sanctus Seymour Goulburn River Australian Bird Victoria Nikon D500 Nikon 200-500

© All Rights Reserved

I haven't seen the Sacred Kingfisher back at the lake so decided to check the tree along the creek near home where I have found them two years in a row. These birds hang out in the north of their range and travel down south to breed over spring and summer.

As soon as I got there, I heard the distinctive calling of the Kingfisher "ek ek ek ek". The sound is loud and echoes through the trees.

I did a happy dance and found him pretty quickly high up in the tree. I have since observed a pair so they are nesting somewhere nearby but am yet to find the nest.

Tags:   Malcolm Creek Sacred Kingfisher bird Todiramphus sanctus Nikon D500 Nikon 200-500 Kingfisher feathers blue Victoria

© All Rights Reserved