Surprised that I haven’t shared this beautiful yet very common bird before. I’ve photographed it in many places—Malaysia (Kuala Gula, Kota Kinabalu), South Africa, Thailand, Kenya, and China.
This time was special, as it was the closest encounter so far. The bird was feeding right outside our hotel and wasn’t bothered at all, even when we got quite close.
It was a freezing morning at around –6°C. We went to Napa Lake mainly to revisit some good memories from years ago. After waiting for a beautiful sunrise, I was almost ready to return to the car when I suddenly heard a bird calling very close by. The bird stayed low to the ground, barely moving—likely due to the cold—with ice clearly visible around it.
I managed to capture some close shots, and that moment became the happiest highlight of this casual, relaxing trip to Yunnan.
One of my favorite bird families. I was lucky enough to encounter two different species in a single morning, just before heading into the jungle trail. We have now photographed 281 species, with 9 days left to go. There are still many target birds left to find.
