A simple trip to the lake to see if the osprey have returned for the year ended up turning into a trip checking out four separate locations and finding multiple bird species (the dam, this stop, was my third and best stop), including at least one good lifer. But this pair of belted kingfishers resting together beside the lake, photographed from my car through a gap in the railings next to the dam, was my best sighting of the day and one of the best of the year.
This is the only American bird species I know of in which the female is more colorful than the male. The female is at the left here.
The belted kingfisher is fascinating on several levels. Its choice to nest in a burrow on the bank, more like a rodent than a bird, is one of the more unusual aspects of an unusual and fascinating bird.
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The best sighting of a wonderful birding day . . . one that even included a lifer I have wanted to see since I was about twelve (the common loon).
I pulled into the parking lot of the dam--a dam that had lots of birds on my first visit, none on my second, and this was my third. A dozen or so geese were on the water, in some pretty formations, and I rolled down the car window to get some shots, intending to get out of the car to get a little closer after I'd done so.
But then, in a gap between fence railings, I saw what looked like two kingfishers in a tree, looked again, and left the geese alone! This pair (female at left) hung out together for several minutes, and then the male left to fish along the water edge and the female stayed a few minutes longer. The background is water. Kingfishers rarely allow humans close; a car or a blind is the best chance for a photo, and two in one shot a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Having a clear background was a nice bonus.
This photo and one very similar (same setting) was shown in two juried photo shows this fall; the framed print sold at one show, though my husband had already told me that if it didn't sell, he wanted to hang it in our home.
Thank you for your views, faves, and comments. (With two Explored under its belt--a regular Explore and a "Your Best Shot 2023" Explore via Flickr Social--this shot is now my most faved photo, more than 570, though not my most viewed. It ended up as #3 in views.)
Tags: belted kingfishers kingfisher kingfisher pair birds at lake Lake Monroe Monroe Dam Indiana birds YBS23Nature
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Day 80/365; Week 12 Theme: Complementary Colors
The best sighting of a wonderful birding day . . . one that even included a lifer I have wanted to see since I was about twelve.
I pulled into the parking lot of the dam--a dam that had lots of birds on my first visit, none on my second, and this was my third. A dozen or so geese were on the water, in some pretty formations, and I rolled down the car window to get some shots, intending to get out of the car to get a little closer after I'd done so.
But then, in a gap between fence railings, I saw what looked like two kingfishers in a tree, looked again, and left the geese alone! This pair (female at left) hung out together for several minutes, and then the male left to fish along the water edge and the female stayed a few minutes longer. The background is water.
Tags: 365: the 2023 edition 365:2023 Day 80/365 21-Mar-23
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Flickr Lounge: black and white
The best sighting of a wonderful birding day . . . one that even included a lifer I have wanted to see since I was about twelve.
I pulled into the parking lot of the dam--a dam that had lots of birds on my first visit, none on my second, and this was my third. A dozen or so geese were on the water, in some pretty formations, and I rolled down the car window to get some shots, intending to get out of the car to get a little closer after I'd done so.
But then, in a gap between fence railings, I saw what looked like two kingfishers in a tree, looked again, and left the geese alone! This pair (female at left) hung out together for several minutes, and then the male left to fish along the water edge and the female stayed a few minutes longer. The background is water.
Tags: 365: the 2023 edition 365:2023 Day 80/365 21-Mar-23
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In this pose the male seems to be reaching over to touch his mate, perhaps to groom her. In this shot, one can see the differences in plumage between the two birds.
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