A tiny flash of iridescence disappeared into the leaves across the garden. About the size of a sunbird, a tiny kingfisher perched in the shadows, tipping its head every few seconds as it surveyed the garden for crawling insects. A minute later it darted out to snatch some creature from a tangle of groundcover, finding a new perch on a thorned branch, the diffuse sunlight illuminating the brilliant blue, violet and rust plumage as it sat smart in the green of the lime tree.
Beautiful
Dale and I have different bird ornaments all over our “holiday” tree. This would be a lovely addition. What colors! We humans are so mundane compared to so much of nature’s coloring. No wonder we adorn ourselves.
Hope you are doing well. Thinking of you both as we enter the holiday season.
Warm wishes from Minnesota,
Susan
That would be a spectacular idea. There are dried fruits that wash ashore along the coast, sort of like a miniature coconut, polished by the sand. It would be fun to paint a series of African birds on these and hang them on a Christmas tree. Of course the Pygmy kingfisher would have to feature.
I love the vibrant colors of this shot. Hope you are doing well.
Hi Beth.
Thanks. Doing well but haven’t had internet for quite awhile now, unless I drive over to “management row” to steal wireless. Kind of takes away the spontaneity of writing. 😦
Very sweet! This must be a younger bird, as I believe the juvenile Pygmy kingfishers have a darker beak vs. an orange one…I was just reading about this species in a magazine…the colors are great. So, did you see it or hear it first?
Happy 2015 to you and Lisa!
Cheers,
Heidi
Hi Heidi,
You’re right. This probably is a juvenile bird. They don’t make a very notable sound–mostly a squeaky, high-piched chirp that doesn’t stand out from the rest of the thrushes, bul-buls, and sunbirds in the area. It was the iridescence that caught my eye as it flashed through a patch of sunlight. Happy 2015!
david korte photographs 
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