Belted Kingfisher 2

Two more Belted Kingfisher photographs, these taken on 15 September 2020 at the Nisqually national wildlife refuge. Imagine how fine these images would have been on a day without both fog and smoke! These pictures are of the same male kingfisher. This species excavates burrows in which to nest. Although both sexes excavate the site, most of the digging is done by the male.The burrows are usually near water, “but ditches, road cuts, landfills, and sand or gravel pits, sometimes distant from water, are also acceptable. Unusual nest sites include sand dunes, sawdust piles, dredge spoils, mud slides formed by beaver, a furrow in a plowed field, and holes in dead trees and stumps” (Kelly et al. 2020). Burrows extend a couple of meters into the substrate and are unlined.