During lockdown I was having serious bird withdrawals, the only place I could visit to get my dose of native bird encounters was the beautiful Otati-Wilton’s Bush. I’m very fortunate to live near to this absolutely stunning native forest and botanic garden and I visit regularly to get my nature fix, as well as to be amongst the birdsong. I found a little spot that regularly has riroriro/grey warblers fluttering around in, so on a couple of occasions I took my camera and snapped some photos.
On the walk down to Otari there’s a street that always has at least one kōtare/kingfisher, and often two. I just love seeing the brilliant blue of these stunning birds, and especially enjoy seeing them dive for food, it’s quite a spectacular sight. At the moment the kōtare are in their winter colours, their chests have become more creamy and speckled, and they look pretty striking. Here are just a few photos, of one kōtare, and some riroriro photos that I was very happy to get. Riroriro are our second smallest bird, so photographing them is no easy feat, getting a sharp photo of one is a minor miracle. What many people don’t realise is that their eyes are a piercing shade of red, I was so happy to have captured that in these photos. Enjoy!
