Kingfishers are totally nuts

Started by Riley Smith, May 02, 2024, 10:45 AM

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Riley Smith

 So there are a few belted kingfishers on the beach. You can't approach them because their eyesight is too good and they're too wary. If you get a picture, you'll need a lens unless you want to spend the day and go ghillie. Naturally, the perches provided by Nature and man are highly prized and add tremendously to their success. And once, between two, there was a squabble for those perches in the waters, piers, and lawn right in front of the porch of the old house. The whole thing drew my attention from the chattering of the birds. If you've never heard the chattering of a kingfisher, it is a cross between sliding metal on asphalt and someone beating clanging a pipe in metal fence.
I caught the action right at first, when the anger hadn't bubbled over yet. They were just chasing each other in a  big circle, which I assume meant that was the boundaries of the claim, which included the end, pilings, and territory around two piers about 50 yds apart. And of course, raising a ruckus with that chattering the whole time. And the chaser, got mad and decreased the radius of the circle, pulling Gs. Well, that made the one in the lead mad himself, so he increased the lead, pulling some Gs of his own. And to add humiliation, he started diving in the water pulling those Gs, STILL maintaining pace. It was totally insane watching those crazy chattering birds with the swords for beaks.
Riley

Riley Smith

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Riley

Wolverine

We have quite a few around our place also. Never heard them arguing though. We also have pileated woodpeckers.  Their raps on the dead hollow trees are loud enough to echo down the cove.
1985 Compac 19/II  s/v Miss Adventure
1986 Seidelman 295 s/v Sur La Mer

Riley Smith

One of the local pileated peckerwoods killed himself on the transformer awhile back. And the OTHER one took a liking to my boat house, tearing the facial board all up on the front side. THey can do some DAMAGE!
 
Riley