Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Belted Kingfisher/Wild Bird

 Female Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon)

Whenever I'm near a body of water and hear what sounds like a rattle in the air, I search for what I know has to be a kingfisher. This one was easy to find, out in plain sight.

Belted Kingfishers are among the few bird species where the female is actually more colourful than the male. Here she is sitting on a branch above a shallow creek, looking for a fish or crayfish.

Concentrating on her next meal

Her territory is about one kilometer along this stream, and during breeding season she defended it fiercely from other kingfishers. 

I am connecting to Stewart M's Wild Bird Wednesday HERE

FYI City Daily Photo members: September 1st is CDP Theme Day. The theme is "Pink." To participate, link your post to the CDP theme day page.

35 comments:

Revrunner said...

A truly majestic bird.

Kate said...

Finally!! A female bird who outshines the males. Go girls!!

Kate said...

i feel that I need to send you this poem for this magnificent bird:


The Kingfisher
by Mary Oliver

The kingfisher rises out of the black wave
like a blue flower, in his beak
he carries a silver leaf. I think this is
the prettiest world--so long as you don't mind
a little dying, how could there be a day in your
whole life
that doesn't have its splash of happiness?
There are more fish than there are leaves
on a thousand trees, and anyway the kingfisher
wasn't born to think about it, or anything else.
When the wave snaps shut over his blue head, the
water
remains water--hunger is the only story
he has ever heard in his life that he could
believe.
I don't say he's right. Neither
do I say he's wrong. Religiously he swallows the
silver leaf
with its broken red river, and with a rough and
easy cry
I couldn't rouse out of my thoughtful body
if my life depended on it, he swings back
over the bright sea to do the same thing, to do it
(as I long to do something, anything) perfectly.

Pamela Gordon said...

Beautiful captures!

Darla said...

She's a beauty. Blue/white/brown being one of my favorite color combinations.

Darla

Malyss said...

Seems to me you're describing a girl from Paris! :o)
Fabulous shots!

MadSnapper said...

when the first photo popped up i actually said out loud, OHHHHHHHH... she is gorgeous. then i googled to hear the rattle and looked at her while i listened to the call..

SarahBeth said...

She's gorgeous! I had no idea that some female birds were more colorful than the males... Good for them!!

aspiritofsimplicity said...

Such a beautiful bird. I don't remember seeing one in person but I don't think I live where there are many of them. Next year I hope to get out into the wood more often and learn how to identify more birds, both by sight and by ear.

TexWisGirl said...

i always smile when i see a female, too, knowing she has her chestnut belt accessory. :)

Anonymous said...

What a lovely bird!

Coloring Outside the Lines said...

Gorgeous birds- I like that fancy female..so unusual to see.

PerthDailyPhoto said...

This is the way things are meant to be..she's a beauty EG..I had a Kookaburra sitting on my fence the other day, think she was checking out the pool for fish, no luck there :))

Halcyon said...

A real beauty! Love how his crest is standing up. :)

Stephanie said...

She is a beauty.

Taken For Granted said...

Terrific photos of a beautiful bird. What lens do you use to get such fine photos?

Thank you for your comment today. Much appreciated.

Wayne said...

Thanks for the tip on their 'song'. She's a beauty!

Rune Eide said...

A beautiful bird that I'm not used to see - I feel privileged :-)

Deb @ Frugal Little Bungalow said...

She's a beauty!

RedPat said...

What a beauty she is and great pics too!

Lowell said...

Sounds like she is aptly named! Fine-looking avian specimen. Don't think we have these down here.

Grandma Barb's This and That said...

I've never seen a Kingfisher. If I had I would have thought it was the male. She's very pretty.

Carver said...

Fantastic shots of the kingfisher. I hear them and occasionally spot them at the lakes I walk at but they are usually too well hidden in the trees for me to get a shot. I'm very envious of these fantastic shots.

Jenny said...

What lovely pictures of the kingfisher! Always interesting to see the colouring of the birds close-up as we miss a lot from a distance.

Rose said...

Wow, wonderful captures! Sure love seeing these birds.

Randy said...

I wonder if wears gel in his feathers.

Jack said...

Fabulous, EG. You sure are a good bird photographer.

Our photos said...

Beautiful bird!
Have a nice day! RW & SK

Anonymous said...

Fantastic capture, she looks gorgeous!

Judy said...

She is a beauty!!

Lisa Gordon said...

What a beautiful bird this is!

Ruth Hiebert said...

Wonderful images of this beautiful bird.

Small City Scenes said...

Excellent shots. When one sees me it squawks and takes off. MB

kayerj said...

I've always wanted to see one of these birds. great shots.

CabinGirl said...

Fabulous photos of this cool looking bird!

Friends who encourage me

Blog Archive

About Me

My photo
East Gwillimbury is a rural town less than an hour north of Toronto, Canada's largest city. My family calls me CameraGirl because I take my camera with me wherever I go.