Belted Kingfisher

Bird Battle: Belted Kingfisher vs. Merlin

By |2023-10-15T04:08:15-06:00October 13th, 2023|Categories: Belted Kingfishers, Birds, Merlins, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Little did I know that on my last trip up into the Wasatch Mountains, that I would witness a battle between a Belted Kingfisher and my first-of-season Merlin.

Missing My Time In The Mountains

By |2023-04-26T02:39:43-06:00April 26th, 2023|Categories: Belted Kingfishers, Birds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I have been missing springtime in the mountains. There is so much snow up there from this past winter that most of the mountain roads I use are still closed.

Low Light Female Belted Kingfisher

By |2023-01-14T04:03:43-07:00January 14th, 2023|Categories: Belted Kingfishers, Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I found a perched female Belted Kingfisher while I was at Farmington Bay WMA two days ago. This was after the clouds came back in creating low light conditions.

Queenfisher – 2023 ABA Bird of the Year

By |2023-02-20T11:02:17-07:00December 11th, 2022|Categories: Belted Kingfishers, Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Salt Lake County, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The 2023 ABA Bird of the Year was revealed yesterday evening. The bird of the year is the Queenfisher, also known as the female Belted Kingfisher.

Spring Male Belted Kingfisher Portrait

By |2022-05-28T05:13:55-06:00May 28th, 2022|Categories: Belted Kingfishers, Birds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I took my first of year male Belted Kingfisher portrait photos three days ago high in the Wasatch Mountains when this bird flew in close to me.

Male Belted Kingfisher In The UK – He’s A Long Way From Home

By |2021-11-30T06:01:44-07:00November 30th, 2021|Categories: Belted Kingfishers, Birds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I've been following an amazing sighting of a male Belted Kingfisher in Lancashire, UK for about a week now, it is only the 4th such sighting for that country.

Male Belted Kingfisher Plus A Rare Migrant Northern Waterthrush

By |2021-08-24T06:18:14-06:00August 24th, 2021|Categories: Belted Kingfishers, Birds, Northern Waterthrushes, Rarities, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

If I hadn't been sitting exactly where I was at the time I was photographing the Belted Kingfisher I would have missed out on seeing this rare Northern Waterthrush.

Immature Belted Kingfisher With A Spider Web

By |2021-07-23T05:58:37-06:00July 23rd, 2021|Categories: Belted Kingfishers, Birds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

What I missed seeing was that the immature Belted Kingfisher had spider webs stuck to its face in a long series of photos that I took of it next to a creek in the Wasatch Mountains.

Immature And Adult Male Belted Kingfisher Images

By |2021-07-09T05:55:11-06:00July 9th, 2021|Categories: Belted Kingfishers, Birds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Three days ago I was delighted to have both an immature and an adult male Belted Kingfisher in my viewfinder as I sat next to a creek in the mountains.

Male Belted Kingfisher Photos

By |2021-06-05T06:09:36-06:00June 5th, 2021|Categories: Belted Kingfishers, Birds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Today I am sharing four male Belted Kingfisher photos that I have taken this spring in the Wasatch Mountains starting with one that I took yesterday morning.

Male Belted Kingfisher With His Catch Of The Day

By |2021-05-16T05:15:36-06:00May 16th, 2021|Categories: Belted Kingfishers, Birds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Three days ago I watched as a male Belted Kingfisher caught a small fish, landed on a branch and swallowed his catch of the day high in the Wasatch Mountains.

Male Belted Kingfisher And Pussy Willows

By |2021-05-10T05:38:23-06:00May 10th, 2021|Categories: Belted Kingfishers, Birds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Saturday morning I was delighted when a male Belted Kingfisher flew in and perched in front of pussy willow catkins high in the Wasatch Mountains.

Spring And Summer With A Belted Kingfisher Family

By |2021-05-10T04:32:52-06:00December 23rd, 2020|Categories: Belted Kingfishers, Birds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I was totally unaware on that April morning that I would be photographing a Belted Kingfisher family for several months.

Adult Male Belted Kingfisher Close Up With Prey

By |2021-05-10T04:26:12-06:00November 15th, 2020|Categories: Belted Kingfishers, Birds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I was looking through images I had taken this summer and decided to share a close up of a male Belted Kingfisher with prey that I photographed in the Wasatch Mountains this summer.

Adult Male Belted Kingfisher With His Freshly Caught Fish

By |2021-03-04T09:45:28-07:00July 4th, 2020|Categories: Belted Kingfishers, Birds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The male Belted Kingfisher had been perched and without warning dove into the water, caught a fish, returned to his perch, and ate it all within close proximity to where I sat in my Jeep.

Focusing On Belted Kingfishers High In The Wasatch Mountains

By |2021-05-10T05:28:40-06:00April 25th, 2020|Categories: Belted Kingfishers, Birds, Morgan County, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I spent yesterday morning high up in the Wasatch Mountains where part of the time I focused on photographing the Belted Kingfishers that I found in two counties.

High Key Male Belted Kingfisher

By |2021-03-04T07:10:42-07:00January 3rd, 2020|Categories: Belted Kingfishers, Birds, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday there was a bit of light in the morning so I went to see if there were any birds that could be photographed at my local ponds and I was delighted when I heard the rattling call of a Belted Kingfisher.

Male Belted Kingfisher Surveying His Mountain Canyon Home

By |2021-03-04T09:50:51-07:00July 16th, 2019|Categories: Belted Kingfishers, Birds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

Back in early June I had the opportunity to photograph a male Belted Kingfisher up close high in the Wasatch Mountains but due to circumstances beyond my control I missed those shots.

Female Belted Kingfisher in the Wasatch Mountains

By |2021-05-08T17:39:43-06:00May 21st, 2019|Categories: Belted Kingfishers, Birds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Yellow Warblers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The nicest surprise of the morning was when a female Belted Kingfisher perched on a branch close to a creek and the road.

Frustrations in Bird Photography – Belted Kingfisher with Branches in the Way

By |2021-03-04T09:57:34-07:00September 30th, 2017|Categories: Belted Kingfishers, Birds, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

I never did get any decent shots of the Belted Kingfisher yesterday but I am glad to know he is back at the pond and that I should have more opportunities with him... if nothing gets in the way.

Male Belted Kingfisher in Winter at Farmington Bay WMA

By |2021-03-04T10:00:35-07:00September 16th, 2017|Categories: Belted Kingfishers, Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

Belted Kingfishers are year round residents in northern Utah but my best opportunities to photograph them at Farmington Bay WMA are during the winter.

Looking at 2016 in the Rear View Mirror or My Photographic Year in Review

By |2024-03-27T06:20:55-06:00December 31st, 2016|Categories: American Bitterns, American Pipits, Bald Eagles, Barn Owls, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Beaverhead County, Belted Kingfishers, Birds, Box Elder County, Burrowing Owls, Centennial Valley, Clark County, Davis County, Double-crested Cormorants, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Great Horned Owls, High Uintas, Hybrid Geese, Idaho, Leucistic, Montana, Peregrine Falcons, Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Red-naped Sapsuckers, Red-tailed Hawks, Salt Lake County, Short-eared Owls, Summit County, Targhee National Forest, Tooele County, Turkey Vultures, Utah, Wayne County, Western Bluebirds, Wilson's Phalaropes, Woodhouse's Scrub-Jays, Yellow-bellied Marmots|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Wow, today is the last day of the year 2016. This is my photographic year in review from Utah, Idaho and Montana!

Continuing Male Belted Kingfisher and Snow-covered Farmington Bay

By |2021-05-07T15:12:34-06:00December 3rd, 2016|Categories: Belted Kingfishers, Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday I had the opportunity to photograph the continuing male Belted Kingfisher with the snow-covered marsh in the background, a few times he even had prey.

Fun Photographing a Male Belted Kingfisher at Farmington Bay

By |2021-03-04T10:08:12-07:00November 23rd, 2016|Categories: Belted Kingfishers, Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I had fun photographing a male Belted Kingfisher at Farmington Bay as he caught prey and ate it on a post near a little creek.

Male Belted Kingfisher at Farmington Bay WMA

By |2021-03-04T10:10:39-07:00November 4th, 2016|Categories: Belted Kingfishers, Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I wasn't expecting to see a handsome male Belted Kingfisher at Farmington Bay WMA yesterday but that is exactly what happened and I was able to get some nice photos of him too.

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