Another of these wonderful forest kingfishers decided to make an appearance on an otherwise slow morning at the Sugud Recreation Forest near Kota Kinabalu. It was after I missed a single male Cinnamon Headed Pigeon which flashed across the path. This male Banded Kingfisher was much more accomodating and perched on a dried branch for all to see. It was just fantastic to watch this king when the head feathers were all puffed out making it looked like something quite different.

The previous afternoon at Sepilok RDC (in Sandakan, Malaysia) we saw a beautiful Black-Backed Kingfisher. This morning as we passed the same area again, I just said 10 points for a kingfisher. Sean took about 3 seconds and came out “I’ve got it”. We turned our binoculars into a dark patch of greenery. Sure enough there was a kingfisher. Out came the scope. That’s not just a kingfisher, that’s a Rufous-Collared Kingfisher! This fantastic forest dweller stayed long enough for this picture. That’s 20 points for you, Sean!