Category Archives: Year 10

Getting Reacquainted With My Local Owls

Year 10

Look who greeted me yesterday evening shortly before sunset! Do you think FuzzBall missed me given I had been up at Lake Vermilion for eight days? (quite frankly it might be Junior … I can’t tell anymore).

Actually earlier in the afternoon I found Mom Great Horned Owl on one of her favorite perches. Although I paid close attention to where she was looking, I could not yet find the youngsters. Obviously later in the day on another hike I did find the owlets.

Finally, this morning I was hiking by 6:40. Although it took almost 90 minutes I eventually found the owl family, but none of the birds wanted to pose for pictures. Thankfully, the owlets now screech out loud as long assuming the sun has barely risen. Their begging told me where to search, but even given that fact it is amazing how they can hide in tall white pines.

Belted Kingfisher Falling Backwards

Year 10

Even the East German judge had to give Mom Belted Kingfisher a perfect “10” for her takeoff from the nest hole! Until this morning I never knew that kingfishers often fall out of their nest holes backwards and upside down after feeding their young.

While birding near Lake Vermilion this morning (thanks once again to Vermilion Dam Lodge) I noticed some chicks making themselves known at the nest hole opening. The end result is the nest hole is really full of small birds which leaves very little room for mom or dad kingfisher when they land to deliver a meal. Apparently the practical result of a hole being full of kingfisher chicks is that there is very little room, if not any, for the parent birds to turn around when taking off to leave. Look closely at the first “takeoff” photograph of mom and you will see she is upside down facing the wrong way. Within a micro second this problem is alleviated and she is in proper flight mode. The total elapsed time for this sequence of images is only a few seconds. Thankfully, I had noticed that mom kingfisher had landed on a nearby boulder, and when she took off in the direction of the nest, I pressed the shutter down (and kept it down). My camera was already pointed and focused on the nest hole area.

Belted Kingfisher Approaching (overall scene)

Mom Kingfisher Approaching (close-ups)

Feeding Chicks

Mom Kingfisher Exiting / Takeoff

Lake Vermilion Belted Kingfishers

Year 10

Although Belted Kingfishers spend most of their time fishing ponds, marshes and shallow bays of lakes, these birds may actually nest a short distance from the water. Kingfishers do not make nests but rather tunnel into the sides of steep banks where predators can not reach their young. Often the nest holes are in the sides of a stream or river ravines, but in my case this morning I found quite a few active nest holes in an optimal habitat area about 1/2 mile distant from Lake Vermilion. I also owe a HUGE thanks to the Vermilion Dam Lodge who gave me permission to bird their private property. The nests were NOT located in a public area of their resort.

Mom Kingfisher with a minnow for her newly hatched young.

Dad Kingfisher (he makes extremely quick visits to the nest hole to deliver food)

Visit #1

Visit #2