Lucky shot! Caught this stunning black, blue & teal bird in mid flight

A few days ago I was visiting an area just outside Bangkok to take some photos and try a local craft beer that is brewed there (post on that coming soon). Toward the end of a 5 kilometer stroll, I saw a flash of bright blue as this bird took flight from the ground. It only flew about 15 meters and landed in a nearby tree. I already had a zoom lens on and I could get a pretty clear look at it, but with its wings at its side you can't really see it in all its splendor.

My friend who I was with walked a little further up the path and got closer and she told me she had a good clear view of it. I started walking over quickly but quietly, and along the way I was checking the changing light and adjusting the settings to it. I also switched it to manual focus and set it about where it seemed I'd need it to be. I planned to adjust these when I found a good vantage - if I had time. I also clicked the camera into burst mode.

Right when I arrived next to her, the bird took off. I blindly aimed the camera, hoped the settings were right, and held down shutter button tracking the bird's flight. In the end, I got some pretty good shots, but far from perfect. The focus is just off, and a faster shutter speed would have made it much sharper. Still, I'm happy with what I got. A year ago I'd have gotten nothing as I only recently started really trying to prepare for a shot before I'm ready to take it. I do this both with camera settings - e.g. shutter, aperture, ISO - but also mentally, scanning the area I'm moving to for things that would make good foregrounds, thinking about framing and backgrounds, etc. I've got a long way to go with my photography, but I can definitely see my improvement the more I shoot.

The bird I'm told is an Indian Roller. Shot with Lumix GH5 and a cheap 45-150mm Lumix lens. Shot at 150mm which due to the sensor crop is a 300mm equivalent. The cover photo is my favorite but here are a few others that could work. Burst mode on this camera is amazing. Thanks for reading!