The Belted KingfisherCeryle alcyon inhabits the rocks and trees along streams. It tends to be very skittish. During our trip down the coast of Oregon I had five chances for a photograph, only to have it fly off just before I released the shutter. It was getting to be very frustrating. The more I missed it the more I wanted to photograph it. Thus, when we returned to the Rouge River for a fishing trip in mid October, I was hopping to get my chance. Sure enough, we were barely on the river just below Grants Pass when a beautiful female Kingfisher settled on a nearby tree (58680 and then on a nearby rock (5811). It seemed to have sensed my frustration and wanted to be photographed as much as I wanted to photograph it. In contrast to most birds, the female is the more brightly colored with a rust colored band on its abdomen and a similar colored spot on its lower flank (5858, 5860). Both of these may show up in flight (5815). Photo 5865 shows a full frontal view including the stripped tail.
In Florida at the Hulamay Preserve south of Merritt Island, we saw this male belted Kingfisher on a power line (photos 2988-3061). It was fishing and several shots showed a fish in its mouth. I was able to catch it in a fishing dive (3061).