The Belted Kingfisher can be seen on the lake all through the year. They sit on a branch or post near or over the water. When they see a small fish near the surface they dive in so quickly that it is difficult to see what happens. You will need patience to see it, especially from the park because there is so much leafy cover it is difficult to find an open enough place to see them as they dive. You will need to be some distance away or they will fly off to find a more private fishing post.

The pictured bird is probably a female, since the male is a more brightly colored blue. But the bird in the image and the video looks particularly drab because it was captured in the early evening on a dull day. A male in bright sunlight looks bright.

Click here to see a video of the same Kingfisher pictured above. If you watch closely for the first few seconds you will see there were two Kingfishers preening themselves on the fallen tree. Then a third one flies in and chases off one of the original two.

In the picture and video these birds look small. That is because they are stocky. In fact they are around 12″ from beak to tail and have a wingspan of around 20″.

Sound

You will hear the Kingfisher much more often than you see it. As it flies, it makes a very distinctive noise which, to me, sounds like a babies rattle. In fact, if you sit quietly by the lake for ten minutes on a warm day, it will be unusual if you don’t hear the rattle a few times.

Confession

I intend to make all the images and videos in the blog (and the rest of this site) original photos taken in Providence Park. But with the Kingfisher I cheated – but only a little. The video and photo on this page were taken from the other side of the lake. That is because:

1. The bird is secretive enough that the camera has to be a long distance away. So, this picture and video were taken with a phone (Samsung Note 8) but through a powerful telescope.
2. There are no good places to stand a telescope and get a clear view from a distance from within the park.

However, it is only a small cheat. Because these birds flit from one side of the lake to the other hundreds of times each day. So, the ones you see here are the same ones you may be  lucky enough to spot from the park.