Local photographers capture kingfishers in their glory!
Gerrit and JD Lotz are a father and son with a passion for bird watching and flair for professional wildlife photography
The natural bounty of the North Coast is well known, and bird life is no exception.
Gerrit and JD Lotz are a father and son with a passion for bird watching and flair for professional wildlife photography.
“My dad is really the guy in the know,” said JD.
“I have only been taking shots professionally for the past three years. Originally, I thought he was crazy spending hours and hours waiting for just the right moment to get a picture; but then I got a camera of my own and caught the bug.”
JD said that you could spend an entire 12 hour day sitting in a hide waiting for that perfect shot.
Both men say their favourite bird is the pygmy kingfisher.
“I have been taking photos of pygmies for the past nine years, more than 9 000 hours,” Gerrit told The Courier.
They recalled a funny situation where, after rescuing a pygmy kingfisher chick, they had a bit of trouble releasing it back into the wild.
“By the time it was grown enough to let go, it had become a little tame and just would not leave. It would fly around a little and return to sit on my dad’s finger again. It took quite a bit of persuasion to get that little guy to fly free again,” said JD.
Gerrit said that though the drought was bad for birding on the Dolphin Coast, we still live in a birder’s paradise.
“We have over 260 species around the Tugela mouth area alone.”
He claimed that birds are a lot smarter than people give them credit for.
“A while back I spotted another pygmy that was not approaching her nest the way they normally do. She then started circling the car, chirping like mad and we saw that a snake was making its way down the branch towards her nest. When we scared the snake off she went back again. Did she know she was ‘asking for help’? I like to think so.”
the catch.
Photo: JD Lotz.
JD is in the final round for the international Natures Best Photographer Africa competition and has twice been a finalist for Getaway Magazine’s wildlife photos.
According to the Lotz’s, summer is the best time for birding in KZN.
“For a great day trip to see some awesome birdlife, visit the Sappi hide in Stanger. Or, if you want a weekend away, Amatikulu Reserve is always worth a visit.”
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