My first objective is to get a shot of a new (to me) bird species, then to get ever closer and thus better pictures. More often than not I experience a non-obliging bird taking off even before I’ve been able to point my camera in their direction. Much less reaching focus.
This day had not been very exciting as I encountered few birds, and those I did encounter were either too far away, or took off right after I spotted them. Some were briefly perched high on a branch against the bright sky, which is not usable, but at least a capture and documentation of a species for identification.
This blue-bearded bee-eater (Nyctyornis athertoni) was clearly not paying any attention to me, constantly trying to get in a position where the background would be best possible, and thus I was able to move from a position with a glaringly bright sky to a pleasant background of foliage seen in this image.
This encounter was a great end to a dismal birding day, and is an example of how chance and coincidence plays a huge part in encounters in the wild.
That said, I think this bird has more of a blue bib than a beard as beards normally grows out from the face and not the chest…
It sounds like this:
Elevation: 1781 meters
Last updated on 21 June 2024
