This past bird breeding season in the Hunter area has been restricted due to the extreme heat and dry conditions, but along our coastal area the numbers were quite good.
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This was the case in the Hawks Nest area with large numbers of wattle birds, lorikeets, and small honeyeaters.
Each year Sacred Kingfishers nest in termite mounds. I found one which was quite low, about 3-4 metres above ground level. That was the good news – but I still had my work cut out.
It was hard to get the image I wanted of the bird flying to the nest hole due to the harsh background.
Short duration flash only worked when I was able to get above the nest hole and cut out the highlights in the background. I tried a number of different photographic approaches to get some respectable shots, including high speed flash.
The Sacred Kingfisher is the most familiar of Australian Kingfishers, found in all types of open woodland and along streams and dams.
Their colours of can vary from rich ochre buff to a dull white. There is a broad black eye stripe that extends from the bill to the nape of the neck. Both sexes are similar, although the female is generally lighter with duller upper parts.
The Sacred Kingfisher is a land bird, usually solitary, pairing only for breeding. Afterwards the birds form family groups before dispersing in the autumn.
Both birds will excavate the nest hole, and both will take turns at sitting on the eggs. The nest chamber is unlined and can be up to 20 metres above the ground, which is why I consider it fortunate to find one so accessible.
Their diet consists mostly on insects small skinks, but they will also eat a wide variety of other small animals, both vertebrate and invertebrate.
Usually they will take their prey on the ground, with the kingfisher swiftly swooping or pouncing down from a branch or some other elevated perch. Sometimes they will even take it without landing. The food is then usually brought back to the perch, where it is eaten.
This was no doubt a difficult subject to photograph. Fortunately it was remarkably tame and paid no attention to the number of setups I required to get the results.