Living alongside the coast has its perks. The many bird species that call this their home (alongside us human-creatures) make for a birdwatcher's paradise. This week, I was lucky enough to have captured some rare friends! Unlucky for me, my old camera could not keep up with the agile movement of this stunning bird.
In this post, I share with you two new friends who I have not yet previously shared as this was the first time I caught them on photographs! When the dad and I went for a walk alongside the coastline, I caught sight of what I think is the Giant Kingfisher (Megaceryle maxima). I have actually never seen them before.
From afar, I tried to zoom in as much as I could, but it was no match! My 300mm zoom lens proved to be a bit weak, so I merely watched from a safe distance. But what a beautiful bird it is!
I tried to run after it, but as soon as I could get a better view, it spotted a new fish it wanted to snatch up!
I managed to snap a photograph or two of its torpedo-like speed and agile body mid-flight. Check below for the small torpedo!
I could not get any closer, it hung in the air with precision. It locked onto its target:
And at that moment, it decided to dive! This was a second before the dive:
Unlucky, as I stated from the outset of this post, I could not get the dive. The agile giant kingfisher proved to be too much for my 15-odd-year-old camera. But I caught the catch of the day: a small snack! (If you zoom in a bit, you can see the small fish.)
As I ran after the kingfisher, I saw what I think is the Cape cormorant (Phalacrocorax capensis). I have seen many of them throughout the years, there are some of them even at the inland dam where I stay. But this is the first time actually photographing them.
Unfortunately, according to some sources, the numbers of these birds are declining very rapidly. It is never nice to hear such doom and gloom news, but it is a reality. With the decline in the territory all across the globe, these birds and many other species find it difficult to find breading grounds.
I remember when we walked on the oceanfront many years ago, there were gates that prohibited people from walking on specific parts of the beach as these were protected marine and bird life areas. Now, these gates are long gone and the many birds that nested there are dwindling. People let their dogs run free even though the board and signs clearly say "NO DOGS".
People are really sad and self centred. One day, these majestic birds will cease to come, they will not reproduce, and our world will be less colorful. Shortsighted goals.
Alas, let us not get too doom and gloom. Hopefully, we are still many years away from that day. For now, we should appreciate (from a safe distance) the beauty of all of these birds, not just the ones on the endangered list!
Familiar faces run alongside these couple of majestic birds. Even their multitude, they are still beautiful. Hartlaub's Gulls (Chroicocephalus hartlaubii) are among the many sea birds that run wild on the beach. I love their antics and their naughty behavior, but not when they steal your french fries!
It looks so calm to just float next to them. But the water was cold an no visitor except the birds braved the waters!
In any case, I hope you enjoyed the couple of photographs that I managed to get of these beautiful birds along the Kleinmond coastline. The small lagoon is spilling over into the ocean (as it does after heavy rains in the winter rainfall area), so as you can see below it is rather empty. But this gives these birds a chance to catch some of the baby fish, as you saw with the kingfisher.
I hope to go back soon to stay a little longer; maybe I can then catch the kingfisher in action!
Happy birding, and stay safe!
All of the musings are my own, unless stated otherwise. The photographs are also my own, taken with my Nikon D300 and the Tamron 300mm zoom lens.
Watching the kingfisher diving is so thrilling. It is like a small torpedo indeed.
It is a sad statistics about decline of species. As excited I am to see many birds living among us in the concrete jungle, more sad is the feeling that they have lost their natural environment. They adapt, but still, this is not where they belong.
So true. And sometimes the most majestic bird species do not adapt fast enough. Pidgeons adapted very quickly, but the other ones are not so likely. Hopefully, we can change that! Let us keep hope.