On my recent trip to New Zealand we were in a town called Whakatane on the North Island. It is here that I think I saw what I think is a New Zealand Kingfisher. There is a very enjoyable river walk which brings you from the town, along the river, and back. Along the way you see many wading birds, sea gulls and many other birds.
One of the birds I spotted on a branch was the one pictured below. In order not to disturb it, I quietly attached the 70-300mm zoom lens as it was about 10-15 metres away. I upped the ISO and increased the shutter speed and I also used the high-speed burst mode to get as many shots as I could. The result (cropped) is shown below.
Is this a New Zealand Kingfisher?
I’m not sure what type of bird it is but it looks very like a kingfisher type bird, however the bill is very thick… if you know, please let me know and I will update this post with those details. Information on where this bird’s portrait was taken is shown below.
Photo Location: