I once called Belted Kingfishers my “nemesis” bird – for the trouble I was having getting decent pictures of the birds. But, they’ve turned out to be one of my favorite birds to photograph.
I’ve seen plenty around the Orlando Wetlands or at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Preserve. You can spot them either just before or just after they have made a catch of a little fish. They are very shy birds, however, and once they notice you are looking at them (or trying to photograph them), away they fly.
Fortunately, I’ve been able to get some nice photos of them since starting in January 2023. The females are easy to tell from the males since they have a rust-colored band around their bellies that the males lack.
And, Florida is the place to be for Belted Kingfishers. According to AllAboutBirds.org, “Pleistocene fossils of Belted Kingfishers (to 600,000 years old) have been unearthed in Florida, Virginia, Tennessee, and Texas. The oldest known fossil in the kingfisher genus is 2 million years old, found in Alachua County, Florida.”
Here are some of my favorite photos of my former nemesis bird.
A male Belted Kingfisher has his feathers tossed by the breeze along the Black Point Wildlife Drive on Merritt Island in October 2023.A Belted Kingfisher overlooks the Black Point Wildlife Drive on Merritt Island in September 2023.This female Belted Kingfisher seems to be saying, “aren’t I cute?” at the Orlando Wetlands in November 2023.A Belted Kingfisher flies over the Orlando Wetlands with its morning catch in November 2023.A Belted Kingfisher with its catch at Orlando Wetlands in September 2023.This female Belted Kingfisher seems to be laughing at me for attempting to take its phot at the Orlando Wetlands in November 2023.A female Belted Kingfisher looks over the Orlando Wetlands in November 2023.A female Belted Kingfisher takes a break in a tree that’s part of the cypress dome at the Orlando Wetlands in September 2023.A female Belted Kingfisher does some morning stretches at the Orlando Wetlands in November 2023.Belted Kingfisher at Orlando Wetlands in August 2023.A Belted Kingfisher spreads its wings and flies over a pond at Orlando Wetlands looking for food in August 2023.This Belted Kingfisher, which is usually shy and darting about, take a brief rest on a limb – enough time for me to snap a few pictures of it in August 2023.A Belted Kingfisher hangs out near the Cypress Dome at Orlando Wetlands in September 2023.
