Belted Kingfisher
One of my favorite birds is the Belted Kingfisher with its long heavy bill, large and crested head. They almost look like they should not be able to fly. Their distnct long rattle is so conspicuous as it flies back and forth along Scappoose Creek which runs through our woodsy property. They are also constant companions when we paddle our kayaks through the waterways along the Columbia River. They are blue-gray with white patches and a white collar. The female has more coloration than the male with a rufus-colored band across her belly. They range up and down the waterways flying from perch to perch in search of fish, crayfish, mollusks, salamanders and insects. Plunging aggressively into the water they are nearly always successful in catching their prey which liiustrates the perfection of the body shape. Digging their nest in a bank of soil they alternate : one excavating the soil with its large bill and the other pushing the soil out of the tunnel with its legs and feet. When we see an adult Kingfisher in the spring we also search the banks for signs of their nest sites. Often we will also discover bank swallow nest sites too. No trip to the river for us is ever complete without sighting many Belted Kingfishers.
