A flash of stunning blue to my right caught my attention against the mottled green of some small Casuarinas. I was pretty sure of what I had seen but I now had to hope that my presence hadn’t scared this beautiful bird away. The small channel that I was in was not wide and it was very shallow so it was easy enough to smoothly reverse my kayak back past an overhanging Casuarina tree branch in the water to let the wind carry me back along the channel. My heart was beating when I saw the speck of blue perched so still on a branch. With a bit of manoeuvring, I had my blue, sea kayak pointed at the bird while the wind drifted me closer. I cursed the foliage that was blocking a clean shot but I was also excited beyond words to be finally getting some pictures of a gorgeous Azure Kingfisher. That experience took a fantastic day to an even higher level. I had already seen some lovely birds on Durras Lake while also taking in the natural beauty of the Murramarang National Park that rimmed the lake and now I was photographing an Azure Kingfisher. The two hour long early morning drive from Canberra to Durras Lake on the southern coast of New South Wales had been worth it. I hope that you enjoy the photographs below.
Read MoreJuvenile Azure Kingfisher that made the trip much more than worthwhile
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 1250, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])