The Surprise After the Safari
After a long morning out in Kruger National Park, most guests were settling in for a quiet break at camp. The lighting had been poor, the sightings uneventful, and wildlife photographer Adele Sneyd was beginning to pack away her camera equipment for the day.
Even though Adele and her daughter were wrapping up their morning, nature wasn’t done just yet. Without warning, a sudden movement in a nearby tree caught Adele’s attention!
A flurry of blue darted through the branches as an unexpected visitor arrived right outside the camp! It was a Woodland kingfisher with something strange in its beak!
“At first glance, I thought it caught a giant moth,” Adele recalls. Instinctively, she reached for the nearest camera and hurried over, snapping a quick shot before the bird zipped off to another perch.
This wasn’t just a quirky insect sighting, however, it was something much rarer…
When Birds Break the Rules
South Africa is home to many kingfisher species, and while many are fish-focused, some, like the woodland kingfisher, take a broader approach to feeding. Their diets can include insects, small reptiles, amphibians, and even the occasional bird or rodent!
At this point, Adele still hadn’t realized what exactly the kingfisher had caught in its mouth. She ran after it as it flew in between trees, chaotically taking photos whenever she could get a clear shot.
The scene then became even more exciting when Adele discovered that this particular kingfisher had managed to hunt a bat! The uniqueness of the bird’s prey made the sighting exceedingly rare!
As Adele tracked the bird between trees, her daughter Logan joined the chase. She captured as much as she could, fascinated by the unexpected turn of events!
A Savage Ritual
Eventually, the kingfisher perched on a more open branch, allowing for a clearer view. Adele, with help from their camp manager Doreen Krause, stabilized her camera under the weight of a long lens.
What they all witnessed next was both fascinating and brutal: the kingfisher repeatedly smashed the bat against the tree trunk, a behaviour common among birds trying to stun or kill prey.
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The beating continued for nearly 15 minutes! In the end, the exhausted kingfisher gave up and dropped the bat into the undergrowth below. It never consumed its catch.
A Moment to Remember
For Adele, the whole experience was both exhilarating and surreal. “ In all my years of travel, I never thought I would ever see something so rare” she reported.
Everyone at the camp that day learned that nature doesn’t always stick to the schedule of game drives or conform to expectations. The encounter specifically taught Adele to always be aware of her surroundings, even while at camp.
Sometimes, the most unforgettable moments in the wild happen when you least expect them. This rare sighting is a vivid reminder of nature’s unpredictability, and the importance of staying alert, even after the safari vehicle is parked!
