Bewitching Kingfisher

New Zealand's native kingfisher, or kotare of the Maoris, is widely distributed. 'Halcyon sancta vagans' - their habitat is open country or forest edge, and they are common near lakes, rivers, estuaries, and the sea

I just happened to see this one because I'd pulled over near the Estuary, to open the car windows and try to get rid of fumes from a truck I'd been following.

It's so unusual to see a kingfisher just quietly sitting, observing, for any length of time. This one had his mouth full of something when I saw him, and by the time I had my camera out he was still sitting there, more or less in the same place but with his mouth empty. Such gorgeous colours! He soon darted away when he saw me.

There was one that lived by our campsite in Great Barrier Island and we were entertained every day by its fights with the rails (or moho pereru, as they known to the Maori). Even though the rails are ground hugging birds they seemed to frighten the marauding kingfisher off with considerable aplomb, plus much screeching! It was all highly entertaining. The rails on GBI aren't as shy as on the mainland of NZ.