This past Saturday I birded Rock Cut State Park with my great friend, Tim Young. It was the first day that really felt like Spring in terms of birds. Everywhere we looked were birds we hadn’t seen since last year. All around us we were welcomed to wonderful songs and sightings.
I did a bit of digiscoping but the majority of the birds were way across the lake making it difficult to get any super shots. We found a beautiful Osprey (which we hope will nest), a good variety of ducks, tons of Pied-billed Grebes, 1 Horned Grebe, and 1 Common Loon.
Osprey
Pied-billed Grebes
Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers were plentiful and so were Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warblers. We found a group of 4 Bonaparte’s Gulls which are new to the photo lifelist (I digiscoped them).
Bonaparte’s Gulls
We also spotted four Belted Kingfishers flying in a group, something we had never seen before (always a 2 kingfisher maximum in the past). Kingfishers don’t really seem like flocking birds so they do not have a name (like “murder of crows”). Thus, I am calling them a “rattle of kingfishers” since they were making a rattly ruckus.
I like your name “rattle of Kingfishers”. I observed three or four of them last week near the Boise River, in a marshy area with a nice dirt cliff face where they likely burrow in and nest. They were chasing each other and rattling away. I wasn’t sure if I was watching a territorial dispute or a mating display, but it was loud, raucous, and loads of fun to watch.
Way cool!! I wonder if a group of 4 is two pairs disputing or males vying for a female . . . the ones I saw seemed to just be flying by as a group (but of course making a lot of noise!)
*LOL @ the “rattle” of kingfishers.* Good one. 😉