Happy February bird lovers! If you are thinking it has been a long year already, I hear you… What better way to start the month off with an absolute jewel of Australian Birds – the Azure Kingfisher.
The bird in the photo is a resident at my local lake, and this photo was the absolute best one I have ever managed to get. Ask my Mum, I have chased this bird (and its partner) up and down the length of the lake so many times trying to predict where it might land so I could grab a photo. I have cursed so many times when it was sitting right in front of me in one of its favourite spots in the shadows and I did not see it. I can’t solely blame my terrible eyesight; these birds are little and they blend so well making them truly hard to see in some surroundings. They are also super quick! I have had one zoom teasingly past my head whistling away on several occasions.
Happily, none of that happened on the day I took the photo in your calendar. It was just after a deluge of rain, and I had observed in other visits that the kingfishers at my local lake are quite active after weather like that, possibly owing to the water being less murky. So, I went to one of the azure kingfisher’s favourite spots (based on how often I had seen it there) and waited. It showed up just like magic and sat on the branch in full view long enough for me to make sure my photo was in focus. I did miss capturing a photo of it throwing down the fish it caught not long after (of course!).
I love the little water droplets you can see on the azure kingfisher feathers, and the colour of its’ feathers are just divine. Some of you may remember that I have drawn an azure kingfisher before, probably the same one as in the photo. I can confirm that there is no one coloured pencil that captures that blue or the orange! Amazing! The orange feathers near the wings have a purple-pink tinge which is very cool. You can’t see it in my photo given the angle, but if you would like to see some photos showing the tinge, check out the eBird page for Azure Kingfishers, and especially this photo.
If January has been a rough month for you, I hope February brings some bright, colourful, bird jewels into your life. Thank you for being here! See you next month 🙂