This male Belted Kingfisher gave me hell for sitting too close to his nest.   It is a hole in the sand bank that I had sat below to photograph my Crow Follower.   He did a lot of screeching and then landed on the piling off in the distance.   I got this shot of him.   Did not know he had a fish in his beak for the youngsters until I reviewed my series of photos.

There has been a Kingfisher on our beach for years.   He is very territorial and chases off his youngsters every season.   Couple weeks ago I was examining his nest hole and the gentleman who lives at the end of the beach came over.   He told me to leave the birds alone.   He thought I was going to climb up the bank, which I would never do.  For the first place disturbing Mr. Kingfisher’s children would be very bad form for this Crow Stalker.   Also, I have learned climbing sand banks is not safe.  They can collapse and bury you in a blink of an eye.

I have seen Banded Kingfishers down by the Duwamish river at Herring House Park.  They have nests around the backwater between Kellogg Island and the west river bank.  I found them because of the distinctive chatter as they dive bomb looking for fish.  They like Ospreys do a hover and then dive in head first to get their meal.   A sight to behold and I still have not captured on film.

In Australia the Kingfisher is called a Kookaburra.  According to an Aboriginal legend, the kookaburra’s famous chorus of laughter every morning is a signal for the sky people to light the great fire that illuminates and warms the earth by day.

May that legend make you warm for days.