{"id":14575,"date":"2020-08-24T06:30:00","date_gmt":"2020-08-24T10:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/?p=14575"},"modified":"2020-08-21T14:54:15","modified_gmt":"2020-08-21T18:54:15","slug":"take-5-hail-to-the-kingfisher","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-hail-to-the-kingfisher\/","title":{"rendered":"Take 5: Hail to the Kingfisher"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cHe may generally be seen sitting on some post or dead branch, near a solitary mill-dam, quietly watching his prey in the element below.\u201d<\/p>William Peabody, in his 1839 report to the state legislature on the birds of Massachusetts.<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Belted Kingfishers<\/a> are widespread not only in Massachusetts but across North America. Still, you’d do well to learn to recognize their call, as you are far more like to hear one before you see it: They periodically utter a dry, metallic rattle that’s evocative of either the Predator, for fans of science-fiction\/action movies, or one of those spinning, ratcheted noisemakers popular at New Year’s Eve celebrations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kingfishers favor lower elevations near waterways of all kinds, where they can dig their burrows to nest in earthen banks and mounds with little vegetation. If you’re looking to spot one on your next walk or hike, aim for trails along calm waters, where they dive to capture fish and crayfish in their long, straight bills. They love a good perch overlooking a wide river or lake, favoring branches or dead tree snags that give them a literal birds-eye view of their prey in the placid waters below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An interesting point of note: Belted Kingfishers are one of the few bird species in which the female is more brightly colored than the male. Although both sexes sport a rakish-looking, ragged crest, males have a single, grey-blue band across their white breasts, while females have both a blue and a chestnut band.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enjoy these five photos from the annual Picture This: Your Great Outdoors<\/a> photo contest, and remember to submit your own nature photography to the 2020 contest soon\u2014the September 30 deadline is fast-approaching!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Belted
Belted Kingfisher at Daniel Webster \u00a9 Edmund Prescottano<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Belted
Belted Kingfisher at Wellfleet Bay \u00a9 Sherri VandenAkker<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Belted
Belted Kingfisher at Horn Pond in Woburn \u00a9 Jim Renault<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Belted
Belted Kingfisher at Wellfleet Bay \u00a9Susan Wellington<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Belted
Belted Kingfisher \u00a9 Kathy Hale<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cHe may generally be seen sitting on some post or dead branch, near a solitary mill-dam, quietly watching his prey in the element below.\u201d William Peabody, in his 1839 report to the state legislature on the birds of Massachusetts. Belted Kingfishers are widespread not only in Massachusetts but across North America. Still, you’d do well […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":68,"featured_media":14595,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[6,158],"tags":[28,83,84],"class_list":["post-14575","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","category-take-5","tag-birds","tag-photo-contest","tag-photography"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/08\/4635Kathy_Hale20842.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3t87A-3N5","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7022,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-love-birds\/","url_meta":{"origin":14575,"position":0},"title":"Take 5: Love Birds","author":"Rosemary","date":"February 8, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Valentine's Day is just around the corner. Have\u00a0you thought of getting your loved one a nice fish\u2014or perhaps a pretty stick?\u00a0Get into the romantic spirit with these\u00a0five portraits of bird pairs from past editions of\u00a0our Photo Contest.","rel":"","context":"In "Take 5"","block_context":{"text":"Take 5","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/take-5\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/02\/Northern-Pintail-by-Ken-DiBiccari-2012.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/02\/Northern-Pintail-by-Ken-DiBiccari-2012.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/02\/Northern-Pintail-by-Ken-DiBiccari-2012.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5843,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-hail-to-the-kingfishers\/","url_meta":{"origin":14575,"position":1},"title":"Take 5: Hail to the Kingfishers","author":"Rosemary","date":"July 14, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"With its loud rattling call and wild hairstyle, the belted kingfisher is an energetic fixture of our waterways. Both male and female have a blue band\u2014the \"belt\"\u2014across the breast, but only the female has a second rusty belt below it. Here are five portraits of belted kingfishers from past editions\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Take 5"","block_context":{"text":"Take 5","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/take-5\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"2013 Photo Contest Entry \u00a9 Larry Warfield","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/07\/944LarryWarfield8344.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/07\/944LarryWarfield8344.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/07\/944LarryWarfield8344.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3493,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/raven-crow-or-grackle\/","url_meta":{"origin":14575,"position":2},"title":"Raven, Crow, or Grackle? How To Tell The Difference","author":"Rosemary","date":"May 12, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Noisy and full of personality, crows, ravens, and grackles are very noticeable. But telling them apart is a different story. So just how can you distinguish a raven from a crow from a grackle? And what makes these birds unique? Read on. 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Last year, Team Drumlin Farm squeaked out a win over Team\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/nature-notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/04\/long-eared-owl_matt-knoth_cropped.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/04\/long-eared-owl_matt-knoth_cropped.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/04\/long-eared-owl_matt-knoth_cropped.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7584,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/100-great-wildlife-sanctuary-birding-spots\/","url_meta":{"origin":14575,"position":4},"title":"100 Great Wildlife Sanctuary Birding Spots","author":"Hillary T.","date":"May 11, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Bird-a-thon, Mass Audubon\u2019s annual birding competition takes place on May 13-14. Teams of birders will attempt to see (or hear) the most species in a 24-hour time span. At the same time, birders and \u201cBird-a-thon\u00a0Boosters\u201d are raising money to support wildlife sanctuaries and programs. To kick-off Bird-a-thon and celebrate 100\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Get Involved"","block_context":{"text":"Get Involved","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/get-involved\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/05\/wood-duck_BP_Richard-Johnson.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/05\/wood-duck_BP_Richard-Johnson.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/05\/wood-duck_BP_Richard-Johnson.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14039,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/birds-to-look-for-during-bird-at-home-a-thon\/","url_meta":{"origin":14575,"position":5},"title":"Birds to Look For During Bird-at-home-a-thon","author":"Mass Audubon","date":"May 14, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"While this year\u2019s\u00a0Bird-a-thon\u00a0has shifted focus to birding closer to home and around your neighborhood, you can still find\u00a0tons of\u00a0exciting birds. Some birds are common in many habitats, like Northern Cardinals and American Robins,\u00a0but\u00a0here\u00a0is\u00a0a list of other feathered friends you are likely to see (or hear!) in habitats\u00a0across\u00a0Massachusetts along with some\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Get Involved"","block_context":{"text":"Get Involved","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/get-involved\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Burds you can see in an urban setting","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/05\/Urban_photos.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/05\/Urban_photos.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/05\/Urban_photos.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/05\/Urban_photos.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14575","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/68"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14575"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14575\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14600,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14575\/revisions\/14600"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14595"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14575"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14575"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14575"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}