Monday, January 7, 2013,

This is a female Belted Kingfisher. You can tell because males don’t sport that rusty coloration on their bellies and sides. The males are all white below that slate-blue ‘belt’ across their chest. These ‘Blue Jays on steroids’ as I like to describe them are amazing hunters. They wait by rivers, lakes, basically anywhere there’s small fish to be found, and then they dive head-first to grab fish from near the surface. That’s how they make use of that powerful bill. Small fish or not, this strikes me as a fearless way to make a living and these birds have always impressed me. I love to watch them at work. JK