Birding, Birds

Photographing Laughing Kookaburras with an iPhone

April 26, 2017 by Duncan 3 Comments

I’m on a family trip to Australia at the moment. It’s not a dedicated birding trip, but I’m picking up a few good ones. One surprising bird encounter was with one of Australia’s most iconic birds, the Laughing Kookaburra. This large member of the kingfisher family is a familiar sight… and sound, in Australia’s countryside and city. In this instance we were at a family event being hosted on a golf course in north Sydney. I had bins, but no camera beyond that available on my phone. Luckily that wasn’t an issue in this case. Maybe the iPhone 10 will have x83 telephoto zoom as standard, but for now enjoy these kookaburra close ups!The Laughing Kookaburra!

My what a large bill for killing reptiles you have

Watching for prey

Noisy Miners (behind) are not fans

Notice the trace of blue on the wing

Golf course bird

Close up action! (Photograph by my father)

Australian birds kingfishers

Written by Duncan

Duncan Wright is a Wellington-based ornithologist working on the evolution of New Zealand's birds. He's previously poked albatrosses with sticks in Hawaii, provided target practice for gulls in California, chased monkeys up and down hills Uganda, wrestled sharks in the Bahamas and played God with grasshopper genetics in Namibia. He came into studying birds rather later in life, and could quit any time he wants to.

3 Comments

Derek Aldrich April 26, 2017 at 8:28 am
I had one steal food straight from my hand before, completely ignoring the sign on the table to NOT feed the wildlife.
Pat O'Donnell April 26, 2017 at 12:34 pm
Cool family trip!
Donna May 4, 2017 at 10:51 pm
And, cool photo of you photographing the Kookaburra. (I’ve seen people using telephoto lenses attached to their iPhones. Only another couple of hundred dollars!)