northeast-flora-and-fauna

Not far from the Green Herons , I met this Great Blue Heron intently scanning the water from its throne [1], a tree branch protruding from the water. I'm not sure if these 2 species consider themselves competitors though they're after similar food [2]. Nor have I witnessed fights or squabbles between herons even when they're both within line of sight of 1 another. While their much larger size would seem to guarantee the Great Blue Heron a victory in an altercation, fights do have consequences: Even a smaller foe could wound a bigger rival, leading to infection or impaired hunting ability. The effort/energy of fighting is effort/energy that won't be used to find food or find a mate. Especially if fish are abundant, bird calculus might indicate that peaceful coexistence is superior to conflict. May 25, 2023 at Duke Farms Photo 292818451, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) [1] Maybe the throne should be for a Belted Kingfisher , because of that whole "ki...

Admittedly this isn't a photo that'll make National Geographic envious, but (if I recall the encounter correctly) it came out reasonably well considering the distance the Belted Kingfisher was to me. My Sibley Guide to Birds says they're "uncommon but widespread", and their range certainly qualifies as widespread; they can be found throughout most of the US, Canada, and Mexico. In my area I don't think I'd call them uncommon; I think I'd go with something like "fairly commonly heard, less frequently seen, with many of the sightings consisting of seeing the bird flying away". My guide also says they can be found "on a prominent exposed perch", and this female (note the brown band around the belly) seems to be in exactly that kind of spot. (Despite their tendency to perch, they are not "perching birds", a term that's (usually) used to describe passerines .) I've talked before about how these birds are not only diff...

I managed to get 1 pretty good picture of the Belted Kingfisher that I was hearing a lot and getting glimpses of until this moment. As I've mentioned before , these are birds that I frequently hear (especially around water) but have a much harder time spotting, and an even harder time taking their picture. The main problem with meeting a Belted Kingfisher is that not only is the bird likely to fly away before you can get a picture but that they'll also issue their alarm call that alerts everyone else in the area to flee as well. Still, if you can get close enough, these are fairly good-looking birds. August 30, 2022 at Washington Valley Reservoir Photo 229847576, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

Here's another Belted Kingfisher I met extremely late last fall. I've shown these guys before , and although it's easy to "encounter" these birds (a fleeting look at a fleeing bird, a long distance look across water, or hearing their trilling call), getting recognizable pictures is a less reliable endeavor. People will sometimes try and get one of the birds they see identified though their descriptions match nothing in the area (or maybe nothing on the planet). A sighting of a "blue woodpecker" is an example of that. What could the bird have been? If it's a bird poking around on a tree, a Red-breasted Nuthatch  or a White-breasted Nuthatch are strong candidates. Though more of a bluish-gray than a conventional blue, they navigate tree trunks adroitly like woodpeckers, and they are looking for insect food up there. A Blue Jay might store food like acorns in a tree for eating later in the season and are happy enough to eat insects on trees if they f...

Here's a fairly common bird that I hear a lot, sometimes spot, but rarely get pictures of, the Belted Kingfisher . It appears to be a male since the female should have a visible chestnut colored band showing up underneath the blue band that both sexes have. That extra chestnut band makes the Belted Kingfisher one of the few birds where the females are slightly more colorful than the males. These guys are a bit larger than Blue Jays and share the Blue Jay tendency to raise an alarm call when they see a perceived threat like, but not limited to, photographers. Many times, a kingfisher will spot me and as it flies away it'll warn the herons and ducks that I'm there. Admittedly they aren't as loud/squawky as Blue Jays, but they don't make it easy to get pictures of waterfowl. From perches like this one, the Belted Kingfisher will try and spot a smallish fish, then dive into the water to catch it in its bill. Though their size and style of fishing are different, they a...