Photos – Kingfisher by Alison Pakulak, Salmon and That Sign by Wendy Snyder
Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick – a rapid succession of staccato notes reminiscent of machine
gun fire – the unmistakable voice of the belted kingfisher. If you hear it, scan up and down the stream as the bird is probably in flight looking for a place to perch. They are busy little creatures patrolling and defending feeding territories of about 500 yds (457m) of stream length. In this case the female is more colourful than the male with a reddish brown band, or belt, of feathers across her white tummy in addition to the blue breast band of the male.
We were thrilled to find our bird for the day – the belted kingfisher – but somehow managed to miss that sign … hmm, on second thought, maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing!
Date: Sunday, Nov. 27, 2015
Time: 1:30 – 4 pm
Temp: 1 degree – cool but energizing!
Birders: 5
Species seen: 14
Location: Brunette River, Burnaby, BC
Great place to see, and smell, spawned salmon. We spotted one dangling from some tree branches
along the river bank.
Invitation: Want to get in on the bird action? Email birds@scec.ca to get on a contact list.
Bird Tip: Hang out a block of suet for your feathered friends, especially in the cooler weather. They will love you for it!
Female Kingfisher by Les Leighton