Hi I live outside the Tampa Bay FL area and I think I saw a black and white kingfisher on my way to work yesterday. Is that possible? I never saw one here before
Posted by Mia McPherson on September 2, 2009 at 2:11 PM
Cheryl,
Belted Kingfishers are common in Florida after breeding season, they don't normally nest in Florida because they burrow into higher banks along rivers than most places in Florida have. This would be about the time of the year they are returning to your area.
In some lighting the birds do look black & white, but they are more blue than black.
Thanks so much Lia. It was on a high wire but the distinctive short body and big head is what I saw. So cool! I almost drove off the road LOL!
Posted by Mia McPherson on September 2, 2009 at 9:14 PM
Cheryl,
I almost went off a road into a ditch in Hillsborough County when I spotted a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher landing on a shrub next to the road, so I know what you mean!
Posted by Buck Ward on September 5, 2009 at 10:04 PM
Ha ha ha. It's called road birding. Probably at least as bad as texting while driving. Easier to do in a convertible, coz you don't hafta lean way over the steering wheel to look up through the windshield.
Cheryl - Kingfishers are present in south Florida, at least part of the year. And I've seen them in Georgia and South Carolina too.
Posted by Mia McPherson on September 6, 2009 at 1:07 PM
LOL
I don't have a convertible but that would come in handy for road birding! I drove 2350 miles across country in 3 days time and birded all along the way, should have hired a chiropractor to fix my neck when I stopped driving.
Discussion
9 repliesBelted Kingfishers are common in Florida after breeding season, they don't normally nest in Florida because they burrow into higher banks along rivers than most places in Florida have. This would be about the time of the year they are returning to your area.
In some lighting the birds do look black & white, but they are more blue than black.
I almost went off a road into a ditch in Hillsborough County when I spotted a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher landing on a shrub next to the road, so I know what you mean!
Cheryl - Kingfishers are present in south Florida, at least part of the year. And I've seen them in Georgia and South Carolina too.
I don't have a convertible but that would come in handy for road birding! I drove 2350 miles across country in 3 days time and birded all along the way, should have hired a chiropractor to fix my neck when I stopped driving.