Belted Kingfisher

Grindstone Creek, Burlington ON. June 13^{th .}2021. I have been paying close attention to the possible nest site of a pair of Belted Kingfishers. It started back in March when I noted kingfishers hanging around what at first seemed the unlikeliest of places, the wooded edge of a deep valley. After a while I realised that the site had merit, there was an exposed earthen face where a small landslip had occurred.  Just the sort of place for kingfishers to excavate a long nest burrow.

But that was March, nest use was several weeks away and it was very probable they were scouting out a host of possible sites. Still, I was intrigued.

From time to time in the weeks that followed I passed by the site, and to my surprise and growing interest, the kingfishers were never far away. They are shy birds and secretive about private matters and I’m sure they saw me long before I saw them, so it was hard to be really sure of their intentions for this site; but my hopes grew.  Today I sat uncomfortably for a long while in the deep cover of fresh green hoping to catch a glimpse of the birds. I hoped to clinch my now near certainty that they had indeed excavated a nest hole somewhere in the bank. I kept my camera poised just in case and, to cut a long story short, I can confirm with this lucky shot that they do indeed have an active nest, just as I had hoped and fantasised.

Quite apart from my satisfaction at having put the pieces of the puzzle together successfully, I have a sound confirmation of breeding for the Breeding Bird Atlas and of course Belted Kingfishers were my Birds of the Day.