A sure bet

The emerald pool was buzzing with tourist activity during my visit to Khoa Nor Chu Chi, many of which were unaware of the striking bird species that was nesting in a tree hole above them.

This red-crowned barbet was a treat, visiting the nest site every ten minutes or so - and luckily for me - utilising the same branches to perch on prior to descending to the nest hole. Quite a bulky fella' with a hefty bill to suit! One of four barbet species on the trip, but my first encounter with this delightful family.


Photographically I wish that I had brought the 500mm along with me - photo opportunities such as this would generally be worth the effort of lugging a big lens and heavy tripod along, but given the terrain and vegetation encountered, the 100mm-400mm was a better bet for general forest birding.