For several previous days, it was apparent that the young Kingfishers were getting ready to fly. Interestingly, they are pretty much fully developed when they fly, and while the parents still top them up with food, they appear to have some hunting ability for easy to find prey
#kneeetoo, and I arrived early one morning and waited for the usual food supply activity. After a bit of time had passed, it was obvious that something had changed. A further hunt around the nest area, and following the adults, we soon found, the first of the flown young. It’s plaintive cry for food was taken care of by both the adults, and just occasionally would one venture to the nest opening and deposit a top up snack, so, a second one was still nest bound.
The following day, it too had broken free from the nest and we found them moving about the forest with ease.
A tree had caught fire a few days before and the local fire and park people had cleaned up the mess, and cut down the old red-gum tree, as the fire had eaten through the inside. So there was a lot of downed timber as well as cleared spaces, and the young Kingfishers were taken there by the adults to sharpen their hunting skills.
It was a bonus for your photographers as the venerable old gum had supplied some fine landing spaces for the Kingfishers and some of the larger trunk pieces a good place to sit and watch the activity.
As the morning went on, the young became engrossed in being fed, and learning to feed themselves and completely ignored out presence, often landing only an arm’s reach or so away. Sometimes too close for the lens to gain focus.
In the end, a mid-morning rain brought closure for our efforts and the young took off to find some shelter.
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Ahh, there you are -
Dropping in with a food topup -
A Welcome Snack -
Handling the skink with ease -
Further down in the forest bugs were on the menu -
Open wide -
Sitting on an old gum stump watching the parents at work -
Now it’s your turn. Adult seems to be offering advice on the skills of hunting -
Fresh caught tastes best -
They sometimes landed close enough to touch -
Waiting in the rain for more food.
Birds as Poetry —— Just because I WANDER - --doesn't mean I'm LOST 
Oh David, these are enchanting. How wonderful to have them so close to you. Thanks for sharing the experience.
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Hello Eleanor, it was a pretty special few weeks we have to say. They are so dedicated to the job at hand, that they quickly ignored us.
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wonderful images, so beautiful
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Superb series of images David – and your excellent blog provides the context which enhances the experience! Inspiring stuff!
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G’day Rowan, glad you enjoyed the journey. We were fortunate that the nesting site lent itself to close watching without impacting the bird’s space.
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Amazing images of your close encounters, David! So wonderful to have them so close as you observed the young learning their way in the world!
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Hello David, it’s hard to condense nearly a month or images into just a handful and then of course to make a story that gives the viewer an insight into the processes.
They are somewhat difficult to predict their actions as everything is done at supersonic speed.
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Remarkable captures David, the little one is certainly starting to look grown up. This has been a wonderful post lock-down bonus for you both. The colours are difficult to copy on the pallet, such beautiful design and texture.
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Hello Ashley, it was a bit of a bonus for us, but #kneetoo was determined to find the nesting area, and so the little birds really didn’t have a chance to ‘disappear’ like the normally do.
And they were on our side of the river this season, normally they use the far side and we don’t have access there.
The rich colours are as much to the placement of the flash to avoid direct reflection back thus the colours aren’t washed out. Also it adds a little extra sheen on some because the wing angle.
All good.
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