One of the most beautiful places for birders is Lake Panic in Kruger National Park, South Africa, where we spent hours to get the perfect shot of a kingfisher who was diving to catch fish like a kamikaze head-on into the water just a few meters in front of the bird hide. We didn’t get the shot the way we’d hoped for, so we’ll have to go back (which is a good excuse to visit our favorite place again anyway).
This juvenile Rufous Night-Heron surprised me when it extended its neck like a telescope. In difference to the adult Rufous Night-Heron or Nankeen Night Heron as it’s also known, its plumage is heavily spotted and streaked all over with buff, brown and white, whereas the adult bird has reddish-brown upper parts and black cap and develops long white plumes on its head during breeding season.
Being a night hunter we were lucky to see it awake close to the water during daytime. Watch how it blends in with its neighbouring branch perfectly!