Kathy Brown, Colour in the Trees (ANIMAL & NATURE 2023)

A sequence capturing this brilliant pair of Rainbow Bee-eaters (Merops ornatus) as they fly from tree to tree with a flash of metallic colour brightening the scene. The pair are a breeding couple with the male having longer tail streamers then the female but both quite similar. The birds were busy feeding off the bees below that were crowding a flowering groundcover on a dried up billabong behind the coastal sand dunes. Such a delightful bird to watch but very difficult to capture due to their fast and constant movement. I came across these striking bee-eaters in the Bundjalung National Park at the back of Frazers beach, Iluka NSW.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.