Divine Encounters With A Kingfisher Bird



Ruth Salzwedel

 
© Copyright 2026 by Ruth Salzwedel



 Photo by the author.
Photo by the author.

We loved living in our complex in Pretoria, South Africa. We loved the small garden we had. We opted to turn it into a low-maintenance sanctuary that offered year-round beauty, and which also attracted butterflies and birds too. We had a birdbath filled with water and we fed the birds.

Over time, we noticed birds returning to the garden to build nests. They had learned to trust us and wanted to raise their young where safety and food were available. I loved that our garden was filled with movement and song.

Sadly, the day came when changing circumstances determined that we could no longer stay in our home.

Because we were both in our sixties, my husband and I had decided to finally move into a retirement home. It hadn’t been an easy decision. We were animal lovers and it would mean no more pets. We comforted ourselves however, that the time was right and that retirement-home living would be safer for us and easier too. Yet beneath all the reasoning lay an ache. Would the birds that came daily to our birdbath know that it broke our hearts to leave them?

A first-time visitor – a winged guest with a message
 
A few weeks before we were due to leave our home, my husband called me to look at the extraordinary bird that had landed on one of our outside chairs on the veranda. We’re both bird-lovers but I’m ashamed to say neither of us had seen this bird before or knew what species it was.

Whispering to my husband, I said “try not to disturb it, while I look up in the bird book what it is”. Casting one more look at it before fetching the bird book, I took in its aura. It sat there as though it had been sent with an unspoken message. It had some unnatural presence about it. It wasn’t just the bird’s extraordinary beauty, but it was its remarkable presence and stillness.

By now I had fetched the book and with somewhat trembling fingers, had found information on the bird and also a picture. It’s colours were striking and yet subdued too. I had discovered by now that it was a Brown-hooded Kingfisher, and that it could often be mistaken for the brighter Woodland Kingfisher.

One remarkable feature of both birds is the long, slim, pointed red beak. The woodland kingfisher is brighter, while the brown-hooded kingfisher has softer tones – the blue, while mesmerising, was muted and the bird also had creamy white and earthy brown shades, blending quietly into its natural surrounds. Watching the bird, I admired it just for being the less showy bird of the two.

I needed to know more. Where had the bird come from? Was it a common garden bird in South African suburbs and gardens? I had learned it was the Brown Hooded Kingfisher. I posted a picture of it on Facebook, and a few people responded, saying how lucky we were to have it in our garden. I knew it wasn’t only luck but rather a deliberate visit.

I read that it is actually a fairly commonly seen bird in Sub-Saharan Africa, and that it loved living in forested areas. Even though they prefer woodlands, they are seen in suburban gardens. It was the first time I had witnessed such a beautiful little bird.

A bird with a remarkable, confident presence

The amazing bird saw us watching it but it didn’t seem to be one bit afraid. It made no effort to fly away. Instead, it simply sat there watching us.
 
In that quiet exchange, I immediately knew that this was no ordinary moment. Some years before God had ‘spoken’ to me through another bird that had landed in our garden, but that’s another story altogether. But like that time I sensed something unusual. It felt as though this beautiful little creature had the presence of an angel or the spirit of God resting on it. I just know that it had been sent as a messenger, bringing us hope and encouragement at a time we were facing uncertainly and sadness.
 
My husband and I silently watched the bird. We felt fixated, as though we couldn’t leave it, preferring to give it the choice to leave first. It would have to decide when to leave our verandah and we would watch it till it did. There was no way we were going to disturb this beautiful visitor. As we stared at it, we both felt something. We sensed a message flowing from its presence— unmistakably clear.

In its stillness, as it returned our gaze through the window, a deep sense of hope came over us both – a feeling of quiet encouragement that all would be well, and that we would be guided forward. We knew that reassurance doesn’t necessarily come through words or from the actions of people. No, it comes through something far more subtle—a sign, a magic moment that you can’t explain to anyone, but that touches the heart directly, and we were witnessing one of those moments.

A holy stillness settled over our garden

The kingfisher stayed a while longer. It seemed purposeful, as though its presence was a message in itself. Our garden suddenly seemed a holy, privileged place, touched by some heavenly being. We both had this quiet assurance that even in the unwelcome change that lay ahead, we weren’t facing it alone. God had sent us this messenger to tell us that our fears, our sadness and our unseen emotions were seen by Him. He would be there to take us into this new season of our lives.

As we stood in our lounge, staring out of the window at the verandah and this small, beautiful visitor, we both felt a deep knowing – we were in God’s hands.
 
The kingfisher eventually flew away, as quietly as it had arrived. We watched it leave. As it flew away we saw a flash of unexpected colour – a brilliant electric-blue as it’s wings caught the light. I felt as though a rare, shimmering gem has been in our presence. As we moved away from the window and looked around the lounge with its half packed boxes, we both felt an uncanny calmness that lingered long after our small guest had gone.

Move-day but ‘all is well’
Finally, move-day dawned. Yes, there were moments of sadness and doubt as we saw our worldly possessions in a removal truck moving away, but the memory of that extraordinary encounter with the kingfisher remained with us, providing us with a sense of ‘all is well’.

Days turned into months and the years flew past. We had finally found our footing in this new season. I wondered what our lot would be. We lived in a comfortable unit on the 2nd floor of the two-storey retirement home. Beautiful trees and gardens surrounded us but we didn’t have our own garden. My eyes scanned the trees, admiring the wild birds, wondering if we’d ever be so fortunate to see a kingfisher in the gardens.

Three years had gone and a new year was almost upon up. There is most certainly something symbolic about a new year. It’s a time of reflection, of wondering what the new year would bring. The 1st of January dawned. I drew the bedroom windows, looking out. And then—there it was – a magnificent kingfisher on the sun-shade of the apartment below us. Whether it was the Brown Hooded Kingfisher or the Woodland Kingfisher, I couldn’t tell.

At first, I could hardly believe it. The same colours, the same calm presence. It could have chosen anywhere to sit, as the retirement centre gardens are large and this bird loves trees. However, it had chosen to land on the sun-roof on the lady’s unit below us. It was as though the moment from before had returned, to deepen it’s meeting – to tell us that God was leading us into the new year and we could trust Him with our lives.

This was no coincidence

In that instant, the understanding came clearly. Just as we had been encouraged before the move, we were being reminded again, at the start of a new year, that God’s presence was still here with us now and into the future.
 
The kingfisher did not need to stay long. Its presence was enough. It had already conveyed its silent message of goodwill. I’ve said it already, that it’s often the most profound moments in life that are the quietest. They come quietly, and gently but they have a deep, penetrating impact.
 
For me, the kingfisher wasn’t just a bird. It was an angel; sent to us again telling us that God was going to be with us in times of uncertainty.
 
Looking back, I see how perfectly timed our encounters with our feathered friend was. Just when our hearts needed steadying, the reassurance came.

Life continues to move forward, and as we get older, we just have to embrace this season of our lives. Whenever I think of that verandah meeting, I remember the uncanny presence of the bird, the stillness, and the gentle assurance that settled over me.

Two more new year’s have come and gone and I don’t think of them as just two more years. They are rather a continuation of the wonderful messages by a special bird used by our Heavenly Father.
 
I don’t speak much of it. People who aren’t animal lovers can never understand. Some say it was just a bird. But I know what I felt and I know it was a message from above.

God sometimes whispers messages through nature

Yes, the kingfisher didn’t speak in words, and it didn’t sing a song - yet its message was clear.
I’ve got peace moving forward. I have this comfort in knowing that even though our personal season of life is changing, God remains the same.

When we are quiet before Him, He speaks to us through nature. I believe there is something personal in the way Christ meets people through creation. For those who feel specially close to the natural world, birds can become messengers of reassurance to a receptive heart like mine.
Ruth finds nature and the animal and bird kingdom a great source of inspiration and sheer delight, believing that a lot of unhappiness and depression in humans comes from not connecting with nature. There’s nothing like a walk outdoors – the simplicity – to see things in perspective again. When not reading, listening to music or going on walks, she likes to write articles that she hopes will be of help and benefit to those reading them. Writing is such an enjoyable hobby and occupation as you can convey facts to people looking for answers, and actually put your personal stamp on what you’re writing about. Photo of the author.
Photo by the author.

Contact Ruth
(Unless you type the author's name
in the subject line of the message
we won't know where to send it.)

Book Case

Home Page

The Preservation Foundation, Inc., A Nonprofit Book Publisher