https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/204317981

Belted Kingfishers live on a fish diet but have also been observed eating crustaceans, mollusks, insects, reptiles, other birds, and berries (Kelly). It will knock its prey unconscious before swallowing it whole and headfirst (Kelly). The male and female will take turns digging a burrow after the male finds a suitable place along an embankment near water but high enough to be above any floodwaters (Kelly). They breed monogamously but take a new mate each year and defend their established territory that normally follows the shoreline (Kelly).
I saw this Belted Kingfisher near the police station above a man-made lake which had been created as a restoration project for a rock quarry that used to be there. Since it was perched on the power lines that extend across the small lake, it’s reasonable for me to assume that it was there looking for food. I haven’t ever been bird watching before, but my mom did have a hummingbird feeder when I was growing up. Most of that lake was still frozen over, but it was clearly deeper than I could see. The area was also being used for local student research and environment monitoring according to the posted informative signs. There were several types of fish that lived in the lake as well as a beaver that had been there before if not still. I did see signs of overflow from the smaller lake to the larger across the walking path and there was still the highway yet to cross before reaching the Lynn Canal. That lake water may be clearer during the summer despite its underwater vegetation however, as it was apparently frozen over during the winter.

Works Cited

Kelly, Jeffrey F. “Belted Kingfisher: Life History.” Cornell Lab of Ornithology. In The Birds of North America, Eli S. Bridge, Michael J. Hamas. Ver. 2. 2009. Ithaca, New York. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Belted_Kingfisher/lifehistory#. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Posted on March 30, 2024 02:01 AM by d_glackin