More Birds at Orlando Wetlands
February 25, 2024 - You hear the rattling call of the Belted Kingfisher long before you see this bird.... Read more
Belted Kingfisher
 | I’m one of the first winter migrants to return to Florida in the late summer. My call in the wetlands is distinctive, and you’ll almost certainly hear me before you see me. My bright blue colors are hard to miss! Most Likely Found: In the marsh When: Winter Where I've photographed: Circle B Bar Reserve, Lake Apopka, Lake Hancock Outfall Wetlands, Orlando Wetlands, Viera Wetlands |
I have written 39 posts including a photo of a Belted Kingfisher
A New Year at Orlando Wetlands
January 22, 2024 - I had hardly finished photographing the egrets when I heard the mocking call of a Belted Kingfisher.... He must have taken lessons from the Belted Kingfisher - he was very good at flying just as I got close enough to take his picture!... Read more
More Boardwalk Fun at Orlando Wetlands
March 14, 2023 - I heard this pair of Belted Kingfishers before I saw them.... Read more
Ducks Unlimited! at Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive
November 17, 2021 - I was excited to come across a Belted Kingfisher very close to my car, and of course, he had the sun at his back.... Read more
Quiet Fall Day at Lake Apopka
October 18, 2021 - But then I heard the rattling call of Belted Kingfishers, and a pair of them flew up the canal to fight in mid-air.... Read more
Small Hints of Fall at Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive
September 19, 2021 - The Belted Kingfishers are one of our earliest winter birds to come back to Lake Apopka.... Read more
2020 Beginnings at Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive
January 25, 2020 - Another winter visitor that I love to watch is the Belted Kingfisher.... Read more
Peregrines and Flycatchers at LAWD
December 20, 2019 - The Belted Kingfishers called regularly as they flew out looking for breakfast.... Read more
I Smell Fall – At Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive
September 29, 2019 - https://vimeo.com/363002540 The Belted Kingfishers are back too.... Read more
Ducks and a Fish out of Water at LAWD
December 27, 2018 - Belted Kingfishers are very easy to spot on the wildlife drive.... Read more
Nesting Underway at Viera Wetlands
January 8, 2018 - This Belted Kingfisher used the top of his palm tree as a vantage point to watch for fish in the water below.... Read more
Cold and Fog at Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive
January 6, 2018 - The LAWD is full of Belted Kingfishers during the winter time, and this morning was no exception.... Read more
Christmas Bird Count 2017 at the Lake Hancock Outfall Wetlands
December 17, 2017 - While Cole and Nate counted ducks, my camera and I were distracted by a cooperative male Belted Kingfisher who went fishing in the pond right in front of me.... Read more
Viera Wetlands is Open Again!
November 24, 2017 - The wetlands were alive with the calls of birds, particularly this Belted Kingfisher, who was on the prowl for breakfast.... Read more
Fall Walk at Orlando Wetlands Park
October 29, 2017 - The Belted Kingfishers are back in Florida.... Read more
Chasing Warblers at Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive
September 5, 2017 - On Welland Road, I saw my first of several Belted Kingfishers.... Read more
The First Sign of Fall at Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive
August 13, 2017 - And at Lake Apopka, the first Belted Kingfisher returned to the wildlife drive!... Read more
Tiny Dancers and Other Birds at Orlando Wetlands
September 18, 2016 - Speaking of winter migrants, the Belted Kingfishers are back already.... Read more
Black Friday at Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive
November 27, 2015 - If you want to see Belted Kingfishers, head to the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive.... Read more
January Field Trip – Lake Hancock Outfall Wetlands
January 12, 2015 - (Hey, at least it wasn't raining the whole time like it was in November!) This Belted Kingfisher likes to hang out on one of the posts that is part of the water reclamation facility.... If you've ever been in a marsh before, you'll often recognize the call of the Belted…... Read more
Fogbow and a Falcon at Viera Wetlands
January 8, 2015 - So Michael and I headed down to the Other Famous Snag Area, where the Belted Kingfisher has been charming photographers lately.... Read more
Great Blue Heron Silhouettes at Viera Wetlands
January 2, 2015 - I knew that the Great Blue Herons would be nesting, and I was hopeful that the cooperative Belted Kingfisher would pose for me again.... After the spectacular sunrise, I turned my tripod around and focused on The Perch where the Belted Kingfisher has so cooperatively posed for the past few…... Read more
Year in Review: 2014
December 30, 2014 - As the migrating birds began returning to Florida through the fall and winter, an incredibly cooperative Belted Kingfisher showed up at Viera Wetlands.... Read more
Fun with Friends at Viera Wetlands
November 18, 2014 - A bunch of photography buddies and I ended up in a line of tripods for several hours, our lenses pointed at one bird: the very cooperative Belted Kingfisher who would periodically fly in and perch on a nice close tree.... After the sun was up, we turned our tripods and…... Read more
Cool Fall Day at Orlando Wetlands Park
October 8, 2014 - The Belted Kingfishers are back!... Read more
Better Hurry, Alligator Flags at Circle B are Fading!
October 21, 2013 - This Belted Kingfisher stopped and posed for my dad and me as we left the reserve.... Read more
Winter Birds Returning to the Circle B Bar Reserve
October 14, 2013 - When we first arrived on the Heron Hideout trail, a very cooperative Belted Kingfisher was sitting close to the trail on some alligator flag reeds.... Each year I have to remember how to identify the Belted Kingfishers: the females have the rusty brown on their tummies, and the males don't.... Read more
My First (Blurry) Vermilion Flycatcher
October 23, 2012 - The other bird in the shot was a Belted Kingfisher.... Read more
Three’s a Crowd
November 25, 2011 - The birds weren't cooperating, though, and my attention moved to a Belted Kingfisher sitting on a different palm trunk.... Read more
Sunrise with a Sora – Circle B Bar Reserve
November 21, 2011 - As the morning got hot and the light started to fade, I heard the familiar call of a fussy bird. It took me a few minutes to find the Belted Kingfisher as he flew toward me across the marsh. It was good to see him on the reserve itself. Mostly…... Read more
Diving Hoodies at Viera Wetlands
December 28, 2010 - Wilson's Snipe We paused to take a duck inventory of the many American Coots, Pied-Billed Grebes, and Ring-Necked Ducks that covered the wetlands. A Belted Kingfisher came screeching across the landscape and landed on a dead palm tree right in front of us. With my new 500mm lens, he was…... Read more
Proof: We have a Belted Kingfisher in the Neighborhood!
November 9, 2010 - Tonight the Belted Kingfisher made an appearance at one of the Stoneybrook West ponds, flying in circles over the pond before landing in a tree.... Belted Kingfisher The Yellow-Rumped Warblers were especially active tonight, and one even stopped for a few seconds on an open branch for me to photograph.... Read more
Activity Starting to Pick up at the Circle B Bar Reserve
September 12, 2010 - Double-Crested Cormorant I was ecstatic when the Belted Kingfishers flew across the marsh right in front of me.... Belted Kingfisher I made my way back around to Alligator Alley in order to try to do some warbler photography mid-morning.... Species list: Anhinga, Bald Eagle, Belted Kingfisher, Blackburnian Warbler, Black-Bellied Whistling…... Read more
Quiet Morning at the Circle B Bar Reserve
September 11, 2010 - Two Belted Kingfishers chased each other up and down Heron Hideout as we watched.... Species list: Anhinga, Bald Eagle (heard), Barred Owl, Belted Kingfisher, Black-Bellied Whistling Duck, Black-Crowned Night Heron, Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher, Cardinal, Carolina Wren (heard), Caspian Tern, Common Moorhen, Double-Crested Cormorant, Downy Woodpecker, Glossy Ibis, Great Blue Heron, Great…... Read more
There are warblers at the Circle B Bar Reserve…if you know where to look!
September 5, 2010 - Osprey As we made our way back up towards Heron Hideout, Dyeyo spotted another Belted Kingfisher flying up and down Banana Creek. He was very considerate and perched in a tree right in front of us! Exposure was difficult, as the sun was very bright, and his white patches tend…... Read more
More Migrants at the Circle B Bar Reserve
August 29, 2010 - Molting Boat-Tailed Grackle We were getting ready to leave around 10:30 or so, and then I saw a flash f blue flying across one of the ponds on Heron Hideout. It caught my eye because we don't typically see many Blue Jays at the Circle B Bar Reserve. So I…... Read more