As I was standing next to the beaver lodge at my local marsh, I heard the unmistakable call of a Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon), a sound I had never heard before at that location. After you have heard its sound, described by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology as a “strident, mechanical rattle,” you can’t help but remember it.
I was a bit surprised to see a kingfisher at that location, because kingfishers usually prefer clear waters, so they can see their prey. The water in the beaver pond is somewhat muddy, but perhaps it is teeming with new life.
I watched for a while as the female Belted Kingfisher (females have orange chest stripe and males don’t) changed positions several times in the tree, perhaps hoping to get a better view of the water. Eventually she dove into the water, but I was unable to tell if she was successful in catching something before she flew away.
The kingfisher was across the pond from me, so the photos are not perfectly sharp, but they do show some of the different positions of this fascinating bird as she gazed intently at the water.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Mike Powell 
This is such a cool bird!! I wish we had them here too.. Very glad you’re sharing so many nice bird pictures! 🙂
Thanks. I have gotten so used to taking photos of birds over the winter months, when there were no flowers or insects. The challenge for me will be to see if birds have the same attraction for me whether they have to compete with other cool subjects.