The Belted Kingfisher.

Belted kingfisher - can you see the fish?

One bird I never tire of seeing is the belted kingfisher.  Its distinctive call, a rattling trill it gives off often while in the air, tells me if one is in the area.  Although primarily eaters of fish, they will take other small organisms if available, including crayfish.  They typically have a few favourite perches above the water where they survey the depths below searching for the next meal.  When the next morsel is found, they plummet head first into the surface and emerge moments later with the prize.  Unlike many other birds that hunt fish, they do not have modified feet to assist in the process.  No webbing or scaley claws for them.  The entire method is based upon the speed of entry and deftness of their bill.  Natural buoyancy allows them to surface quickly where they take to their wings to escape the liquid confines.

I learned something fascinating about belted kingfishers the other day as I was reading up on them.  It seems that they excavate a nest in a bank or cliff face.  It is no ordinary hole either, but rather a deep cavity that takes several days to excavate.  Using only their bills, they manage to dig at a rate of a foot per day.  The tunnel may be up to six feet deep and ends with a cavity about the size of a squashed soccer ball.  The path of the tunnel extends upwards to prevent rainwater from getting into the nest.

Kingfishers are very allusive birds.  I find them difficult to approach regardless of whether on foot or the water.  There was one at a small lake where we were staying near Princeton.  It must have been somewhat used to people because I had more success photographing it than any other opportunity allowed.  The shot used in this blog was not the best one I got, but I liked it because of the bird's fish tossing exploits.  I usually have to crop the images heavily, leaving little opportunity to enlarge the photo.  I included a photograph of the bird's head below; the details were really great, the best shots I have ever got.

Cropped Photo of a Belted Kingfisher.

Thanks for reading.   www.ericspix.com   Eric Svendsen